Another Path
by DragonflyDream
Summary: Since birth, Tsunayoshi has been neglected by his parents for his twin Ienobu. But he still finds comfort and family with his friends, friends who will follow him to the end of the world (also known as Italy). Or : how Tsuna still ended up as Vongola Decimo and met the whole crew despite trying his best to avoid the Mafia and not even being a Boss candidate...
1. That didn't start so well

Another Path part 1 : That didn't start so well

 **This fiction is inspired by what I remember of a story I read a while ago, but that I can't find anywhere anymore. It is however, only inspired by it. Some small points are similar, but I can assure you it will not go the same way, especially in a few chapters.**

 **Also, for those of you who don't like OC, don't worry, there are only a few and they aren't very developed, just necessary for the plot to move on. Ienobu might stick a while, but he will disappear once Tsuna goes to Italy (in a few chapters).**

 **Finally, I'd like to point that I have no idea how old a child is supposed to be when he starts walking or talking, so please, bear with me and just pretend what I write makes sense while you read. Don't hesitate to leave a review if you want to comment or correct.**

()()()()()()

It was a rainy night. A taxi was racing through the streets of Namimori, a small and peaceful Japanese city, urged by the pained screams of a pregnant woman and the pseudo-comforting voice of a burly man. It was impossible to grasp the relief of the taxi driver when they finally reached the hospital and the couple were ushered inside : the father-to-be kept encouraging his wife with cliché sentences such as 'it will be worth it in the end' or 'the pain is mostly in your head', to which the future mother started cursing him like a sailor between gasps of pain. Truly his worse ride. Ever.

While the driver was sobbing in relief in his car, labor had only just begun for Mrs Sawada. The delivery lasted four hours, but at sunrise, the woman could finally rest. But before that, she asked to hold her children with her husband.

The hospital staff handed her a small infant with a turf of blond hair, and Iemitsu received another toddler, the older one, with brown hair this time.

"He looks just like you, dear" cooed Nana watching her younger son. "Let's call him Ienobu."

"It's a beautiful name. Sawada Ienobu. Nobu or No-kun for short. It has a nice ringing to it. And what about this little one?" inquired the man, pointing to his older child.

"Oh, call him what you want, he doesn't look like you at all" answered the mother without looking. "I've got my little No-kun right now". She smiled.

Iemitsu frowned slightly at that comment, but didn't think too much of it. Giving birth to the twins had obviously exhausted Nana, and she most likely wasn't thinking straight at the moment. That, and she was understandably captivated by the son she was holding, and hadn't yet built the same attachment to the one she hadn't seen clearly.

"Well, how about Tsunayoshi? Sawada Tsunayoshi? Like a cute little Tuna-fishy?"

"Yes dear, if you want" Nana replied absently, but the blond was too bushy fussing over his sons to notice.

That was the first time Sawada Tsunayoshi was put aside in favor of his younger brother Sawada Ienobu. Unfortunately for the infant, it wouldn't be the last.

()()()()()()

Iemitsu stayed a month after that before he was called away for his job. He and Nana had taken care together of their sons before that, and the man hadn't noted that his wife tended to spend more time with No-kun than with Tsu-kun, as they called them. Or maybe he had noticed and didn't want to think about it too much.

Anyway, Iemitsu was now standing on the doorstep and saying goodbye to his wife who was holding both their sleeping children in each arm. She was upset to see her husband leave, but understood his job was important.

"I'm sorry Nana, I really hoped I could stay longer with you and the kids, but you know how important my work is."

"Yes, dear I know, and I understand your co-workers depend on you a lot. Don't worry, I'm not alone here. I have little No-kun to remind me of you!" she smiled.

"And Tuna-fishy is here as well, I'm sure you three will be just fine" he kissed Nana on the lips and his sons on their foreheads. It wasn't the first time he had to remind her of Tsunayoshi's presence, but he figured that with him gone, she will spend more time with their eldest and develop the same bonds as with Ienobu. Nana was an extremely nice woman if a bit air-headed. She was incapable of mistreating one of her children.

And so Iemitsu left Namimori and his family for his job as head of CEDEF and external advisor to the powerful Vongola Nono (even though he told his wife he was going to build highways for fishes underwater in the Pacific Ocean, and his gullible Nana believed his word).

()()()()()()

Many months passed before Iemitsu returned to Namimori. Tsuna and Nobu were now 14 months old and were starting to walk. Well Nobu was using tables to stand and was trying to walk while Tsuna seemed satisfied with sitting or crawling on the safer ground.

"You'll never guess how talented our No-kun is" gushed Nana. "He almost managed to cross the room". She had begun ranting about her youngest while Iemitsu was still at the door. He even still had his boots and hadn't seen his sons yet. "And he can speak really well! He said 'Mama' for the first time 4 months and three days ago and has made impressive progress since! He's really so smart!"

Iemitsu laughed and held his wife closer. He _did_ notice that Nana only talked about one of their children and interrupted her speech after 15 minutes. "And what about Tsuna?" Nana's face scrunched up slightly. Not really in disgust, more like when you have to talk about something uninteresting when you want to talk about your passion.

"Oh, he's not nearly as smart as No-kun, you know. He only managed to talk recently and his first word was something along the lines of 'hug' or 'up' or something. Still can't walk. But I'm sure with you home, No-kun will learn to say 'Papa' in no time at all. He's such a little genius..."

Nana quickly returned the topic on No-kun, but this time, Iemitsu didn't tick. The idea of being called Papa for the first time was way too distracting.

When Nana finished praising Ienobu's achievements, they finally headed for the living room to see the boys. Ienobu was in the process of standing up with the help of the coffee table. Nana ran up to him and cheered him on. Tsuna was the only one to notice the big scary blond man entering and fearfully curled up in a ball in a corner.

Iemitsu noticed his eldest's behavior and walked up to him with big strides and a goofy grin plastered on his face. Tsuna just tried to disappear in the wall even more.

"Hello there, little Tuna-fish. I'm your Papa! I was gone for a while but I'm now back for some time. Now come here in my arms so that I can hug you".

Tsunayoshi reacted to the word 'hug' and raised his head to look his father in the eyes, but kept a fearful and distrustful stare while he considered crawling to the man. He did want to be hugged like Mama always did with No-kun, but the man was too scary and overbearing. After thinking about it for a while, he shook his head to signify his refusal.

Iemitsu was still about to lift his son and squeeze the life out of him for his cuteness, when he was called by an ecstatic Nana. "Dear, come look! No-kun is walking! No-kun, sweety, go to your Papa there, your Papa" Nana stressed the word in hope of Ienobu repeating it.

Iemitsu could have sworn the child behind him in a corner muttered the words 'scary man', but dismissed those thoughts quickly. Nana told him Tsu-kun had only just managed to utter a word, so it was impossible for him to speak that much. He didn't know that Tsunayoshi could speak months before Ienobu and had a much better handle on the Japanese language that most two or three-year-olds. His mother just didn't care about him enough to notice before he actually told her directly 'a hug or a lift up, please'.

Unfortunately, his mother still hadn't paid much attention to him and barely noticed that he could speak. While Nana understood that Iemitsu had to leave for his job, she still missed him very much. Ienobu already looked a lot like his father, and she was sure their resemblance would only increase with time. Her youngest reminded her so much of the older blond and she couldn't help but spend all her time and attention on him, leaving Tsuna to fend for himself. She still fed, bathed and put both children to sleep, but minded much more about Ienobu's situation than Tsunayoshi's. He just didn't look at all like her dear husband.

Encouraged by his mother, Ienobu staggered carefully towards the stranger. Following his mother's prompt, despite not knowing why, he even started to babble "Da... Da... Dada" and both Iemitsu and Nana completely forgot about Tsunayoshi's existence until dinner in favor of spoiling No-kun.

Tsunayoshi might have only barely been older than one, but he understood perfectly well that his Mama and the man that she called 'Papa' preferred No-kun. Tsuna could talk earlier and better, but Mama hadn't noticed or cared for some reason. He didn't really see the point of walking and found crawling better, especially since he didn't have Mama helping him, holding him up and making sure he wouldn't hurt himself when he eventually fell. He scratched his knee the few times he had tried and started bawling his eyes out, and Mama had only put a plain bandage on it and left to help No-kun again.

These differences in the way they were treated made his tummy hurt and he didn't know why. It just seemed unfair. Sure, No-kun was friendlier to strangers, but that was only because Tsuna was more careful and knew that unknown people could harm them, even if they didn't do it on purpose. Like that weird blond man. He didn't seem evil or mean, but the way he threw No-kun in the air and caught him was terrifying and Tsuna was glad for once that his existence was forgotten. Although he still felt a pinch of envy for the attention and the smile on No-kun's face.

After some observing, Tsuna concluded that the strange man was his father and the person Mama talked about to Ienobu at bedtime, telling stories of the blond's exploits. Tsunayoshi had seen that the children of their neighbors all has a Mama like him, but also a man called a 'Father' or 'Dad' or even 'Daddy', and had understood that the stranger was supposed to be the same thing for their family. That was another thing that Nana hadn't seen in her eldest. He was pretty smart (not a genius, but smarter than Ienobu, at least, despite her claims) and was really good at observing others and coming to conclusions (which explained his speaking ability).

Tsuna also had a strong Hyper-Intuition (though he would only learn of the name years in the future) which saved his life many times. It deterred him from putting the pretty bottles (of cleaning liquid) in his mouth and told him to stay away from the stairs when Nana left him alone on the second floor. It stopped him from crawling outside in the street when Mama left the door open and kept him still when she forgot him on the baby changing table.

Dinner came and everyone was seated at the table (Tsuna and Nobu in special baby chairs). Nana was happily feeding Ienobu while Iemitsu was taking care of Tsunayoshi. The man felt at first a bit guilty when he remembered about his eldest, but his goofiness quickly evaporated that feeling and he was back to his cheerful attitude.

The following days passed pretty much in the same way. Nana spent her entire time spoiling Ienobu, who looked so much like his father with his blond hair. Had Nana not spent so much time neglected by Iemitsu, she wouldn't have tried so hard to find relief in his look-alike. Had Nana only had one child, she would have spent all her attention on him (or her) because he/her would have been her only link with her husband, her only proof of their love. But unfortunately, she had had twins and Iemitsu spent almost all of his time abroad for his work. She wasn't a bad person, but was so depressed by her missing husband that she sought solace from what she could and focused entirely on it. Her obliviousness also increased her neglect of her other son : she honestly didn't notice his existence and need of love.

On the other hand, every day Iemitsu tried to build bonds with Tsunayoshi in the morning (who was still distrustful of him, but at least allowed him close. The man was still too rough for his liking), but was pretty quickly distracted by Nana or Ienobu and forgot Tsuna for the rest of the day, until he had to be fed or bathed (which he was always the one to do, Nana stayed with No-kun). He always felt bad about it when he realized how much he favored his youngest, but got over it fast.

Ienobu didn't notice anything wrong. He was used to his Mama focusing on him since he was born, and never saw a problem with that. In fact, he was a bit annoyed by the attempts of his 'Dada' (after several days, he still couldn't pronounce it correctly. His parents found that absolutely cute) to talk with Tsunayoshi. He was better than him, his Mama was always with him, so it was obviously true. It was an subconscious thought, but he still felt better than his older brother. So why was the blond man trying to bond with him? He should focus his attention on No-kun, instead. So he unconsciously drew his attention. And it worked like a charm! Both his parents' focus was on him.

Tsunayoshi didn't know what to feel. He was still a bit scared of the blond man (and refused to call him 'Papa'), but he had easily seen that he was the only one willing to pay attention to him. Even if said attention consisted in crushing hugs and getting thrown in the air (thank god it only happened to him once, he cried like crazy in fear. He didn't like standing up because it was too high, imagine what grazing the ceiling felt like...). Tsuna still craved care and love, but his caution, fear and being unused to attention meant he couldn't accept Iemitsu's clumsy attempts to get close.

This situation kept going on for four months with no evolution. In Iemitsu's defense, he never stopped trying to create bonds with Tsunayoshi, but wasn't helped by his wife and younger son. And he really didn't have much in common with quiet, calm Tsu-kun. No-kun enjoyed playing ball in the garden (throwing it back and forth), being thrown in the air and caught, being hugged and tickled, and generally demanded attention while Tsuna avoided it most of the time (Iemitsu's rough attention at least). But of course, Iemitsu's stay had to come to an end when CEDEF called him back for an emergency.

Once again, the external advisor was on his house's threshold with his wife holding Ienobu and Tsunayoshi sitting a bit farther in the entrance, watching intently. Once again he exchanged goodbyes with Nana and promised her to be back as soon as he could. Once again he kissed her on the lips, and his sons on their foreheads (Tsuna had backed away a bit, but Iemitsu didn't notice and just walked closer with his perpetual grin). Once again he turned his back on his house and left for his job in Italy (and not to build a shopping mall on the Moon...).

Once again he left Tsunayoshi to be purposefully neglected in favor of Iemitsu because he didn't look like his father.

()()()()()()

Over time, Tsunayoshi's situation got worse.

Nana stopped helping him with essentials once she considered him grown enough to do it himself, despite her still helping Ienobu with a smile. Soon after Iemitsu left, he was to dress without any help. If he got it wrong and wore something backwards or couldn't close it correctly, he was mocked by his mother and compared to No-kun who 'has his clothes on perfectly'. Of course, since Nana had been the one to dress him. And Tsuna was left to correct his attire by himself or to wear it wrong for the rest of the day. He also had to eat by himself and got scolded for making a mess while Ienobu was fed by mouth by his mother.

At two, Tsuna was left to bath by himself without surveillance. Or at least that's what he assumed after three days of not being cleaned by Nana who still bathed Nobu. He came close to dying a few times by drowning and only his instinct got him to stop panicking and get his head out of the water when he lost in footing.

Nana still made him food and bought him clothes, but she mostly left him to his own devices, so Tsuna grew up to be pretty independent. He still craved the love of his mother, but quickly realized he would never have it. Also, the few times Iemitsu got home, he assumed Nana was just leaving him in charge of Tsuna for the duration of his stay and took care of him herself when he was away, so he never made too much effort to mend Tsunayoshi's relationship with him or with his mother.

And when the two children turned three, they got sent to kindergarten and things turned even worse for Tsuna.

He eventually had to learn to walk by himself, and as such was much more clumsy and tripped often. Being made fun of quickly forced him to correct his walking and within a year he was about as adept at moving as his classmates, but the nickname 'Dame-Tsuna' created by his sempai stayed in the minds of the children. Ienobu took to calling him that in the blink of an eye. As Nobu had become the class's leader, the other kids followed and everyone knew Tsuna as 'Dame-Tsuna'. Even his own mother only referred to him that way and Iemitsu thought it was an endearment nickname and called him either that or 'Tuna-fishy'. He would stay 'Dame-Tsuna' for his classmates for his whole school life, despite his average athletic abilities.

When Tsuna and Nobu started going to kindergarten, the youngest figured out that not only did he dislike his parents taking care of his brother, he actually disliked _anyone_ paying positive attention to his sibling. Thankfully for him, Nobu was a bright cheery child who liked to befriend strangers whereas Tsuna was shy, stayed in the corner and had a hard time making friends. It was easy for him to turn the other kids against the brunet, excluding him, and making sure he never actually had an opportunity to make friends.

He began hurting Tsunayoshi at home, sometimes hidden from his Mama, sometimes right in front of her. Claiming that Tsuna had wronged him always got his mother to side with him, despite the brunet crying that it wasn't true. Nana let Ienobu do anything and didn't care for Tsuna enough to stop him. She almost never beat him herself, unless she saw Tsunayoshi 'harm' her precious No-kun in some distorted way. Not that her usual neglect of her eldest was doing him any good either.

Building Tsuna a bad reputation as an clumsy, idiotic loser was just as easy for Ienobu.

You'd think Tsuna would have disproved the 'idiotic' part the first time he and Nobu took a test. It was a simple Japanese test, to see if they had the characters memorized. Tsuna easily completed his paper : he had an affinity with language in general, both his own and foreign tongues, and loved initiation to English. He even started to study the language by himself with a beginner's book found in the school's small library.

Nobu had a harder time answering the questions. The next day, the teacher returned their tests and Nobu had a 71 out of 100. Hardly a bad grade, but not enough for the boy who was used to everything going his way. Even worse : Tsuna had a 100. This was unacceptable. During break time, he waited for his brother to head to the library and talked to the teacher.

"Sensei, No-kun saw Tsu-kun cheat at the test the other day" he said, looking as though he didn't know if he should have said that, with small tears at the corner of his eyes. It was a face that always worked to keep his father away from Tsuna. It worked like a charm on the young inexperienced teacher. The woman looked surprised and asked him what he saw exactly, already completely believing the child.

"Tsu-kun had paper under his desk and was looking at it. At home, Tsu-kun even said that it was easy to not be seen" he lied.

"I see. I'll talk to him after this. Cheating is a very bad thing to do. You were right to report this to me Ienobu-kun, I'll take care of this. You don't have to blame yourself, you did what you had to" the teacher reassured the 'unsure' child. Nobu just nodded with a happy smile and went to play outside with his friends.

When every child returned to the classroom, the teacher called Tsuna in front of everyone and proceeded to lecture him sternly on how cheating was a very naughty thing to do.

Tsuna was quick to guess what happened and whose fault it was : Nobu's satisfied grin behind the teacher's back was telling.

"Tsu-kun didn't cheat" he tried to defend himself.

"You should really stop lying or I'll call your parents, Tsunayoshi-kun. I know you cheated to have full marks on your test yesterday, you should just admit it".

"But Tsu-kun did not cheat for the tes..." he started.

"Stop it you loser" snorted another child "everybody knows that you're Dame-Tsuna, you couldn't have a good score without cheating."

"Yeah, you're stupid, and you wanted to be better than Nobu. But Dame-Tsuna can't do anything so you had to cheat. So pathetic..." mocked another.

"B-But" Tsuna was about to cry. He was used to being ignored, not slandered unfairly by a whole class.

"That's it Tsunayoshi-kun" interrupted the teacher, sounding annoyed. She obviously believed that Tsuna's reputation as an idiot was true, just because the child never answered questions due to shyness. "I'll tell your parents about your behavior when they come pick you and Ienobu-kun. You should be ashamed" she ended and sent poor Tsuna back to his desk.

When Nana and Iemitsu arrived, the teacher told them about Tsunayoshi cheating, without mentioning that it was Ienobu who saw him, she didn't want to put her 'honest and kind' student in a bad spot with his parents.

Tsuna got scolded by both his parents. Iemitsu telling him that cheating was bad, and Nana saying that he should stop misbehaving and that it was obvious that he wouldn't have a better grade than her No-kun. Her husband didn't hear that last part as he was busy apologizing to their teacher for their bad child. All the while, Ienobu was behind his Mama's legs and grinning to Tsuna.

'This is what you deserve, Dame-Tsuna' his eyes seemed to say.

After that, each time Tsuna got a good grade, the same thing would occur. Sometimes, the teachers, seeing that he got all his answers right, just gave him a zero, saying he should really learn that cheating was wrong and that it was obvious that a bad student like him could never ace a test honestly. He should just start studying seriously, like his bright younger brother. How had Tsunayoshi been born before Ienobu when he was the one acting like a responsible older sibling and setting his brother in the right path.

Eventually (after just two months actually), Tsuna realized that it was useless to show his smarts at school and began failing tests purposefully. His classmates still mocked him and his teachers still looked at him with slight disgust, but at least he didn't get automatic zeros and wasn't kept after school to talk with his disappointed parents anymore.


	2. That took an unexpected turn

Another Path Part 2 : That took an unexpected turn

 **I discovered that I am unable to make children talk like their age, so just assume that those kids are either very bright or live in an environment that pushed them to speak 'normally' rather than childishly. Or any other excuse you might think of, really. Please, you don't want to read my attempts at baby talk, I tell you.**

 **This will be a weekly story, and I already have 7 other chapters written.**

 **And many thanks to** Ebona Nite **,** Queen Mo-Freakin **and** Nazuki Hanae **for their review and to all those who favorite-d or followed. I wasn't sure if I should continue this story and you helped me keep going.**

 **Disclaimer (that I forgot the first time): I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.**

Tsunayoshi and Ienobu were now 4. On the one hand, Nobu had become one of the leaders of the whole kindergarten, even the older kids were kind with him and joined his large group of friends. It was commonly known that he was the one to follow to have the most fun. He was one of the smartest kids and his mother made him delicious cookies and cakes that he shared with all his friends.

Tsuna, on the other hand, had solidified his status as Dame-Tsuna. He always got bad grades, barely passing, and was thought to be stupid. He was allegedly clumsy and had many bullies (who made him trip on purpose, hence his continued reputation). He was not athletic (half true. He was not as athletic as his brother, but could still hold his own. He just didn't see the point of sports, especially if Ienobu was going to be the one praised anyway). He had no friends at all. After all, who would want to be with Dame-Tsuna, the stupidest, most clumsy, weakest and less social kid at school. And nobody wanted his bullies to pay attention to them.

The brunet had learned after many attacks that he would not be able to avoid having bullies. Not with Ienobu sending them after him with his blessing. He also discovered that no adult would step up for him due to his reputation as a loser and that the beatings got over faster if he just took it without a word. As such he stopped trying to speak to others unless prompted, and nobody minded. He knew it was pretty pathetic, but was also aware that he couldn't win against older children ganging up on him and that not even his mother would help him. She seemed to believe that it was only 'fair' that such a useless son was the scapegoat of others. Especially if it made her No-kun happy.

In order to avoid both his brother (who got nastier and crueler over the years), his many bullies and his mother, Tsuna created a routine to follow each day. He woke up early, earlier than his Mama and Nobu. Made some toast and quickly headed for kindergarten on his own (one of the other things Nana stopped doing for him, though she still brought her No-kun by car every day), the streets were mostly empty so early in the morning.

Once in the school building, he found a place to hide, like the roof or a janitor's office, and waited until it was time to show up for roll call. He tried his best to hide as well during breaks, but often his bullies caught him before he could escape.

At lunchtime, he went to the unlocked roof (the teachers were supposed to watch the other children and make sure they didn't go there, but they never paid him any attention) and ate whatever lunch he had found in the morning at home and his bullies didn't take (his intuition clearly told him that attempting cooking was a bad idea for his health right now). Then he returned to class, spent the second break like the first until it was time for parents to fetch their children.

He always managed to leave on his own (again, no-one minded him) and wandered the streets until dinnertime. Nana seemed perfectly fine with this arrangement, since it left her more time for No-kun and not once did she ask him what he did between the end of kindergarten and dinner. Weekends were essentially the same, with Tsuna roaming the city from early morning until evening, staying safe thanks to his keen intuition. After diner, the brunet just stayed in his room, reading borrowed books from the library or studying languages. He was already fluent in Japanese and English and was currently learning Italian. He had found some books in that language in his house along with an old Italian-Japanese dictionary and jumped on the opportunity.

Tsuna had many secrets (could they be called secrets if no-one actually cared about them?), but the biggest of them all was a strange ability he had developed : he could summon fire. Well it looked like fire, but it clearly wasn't the normal kind.

He discovered this ability during one of his city walks. A cat was stuck in a tree and meowing for help. The park he was in was deserted so he took it upon himself to rescue the kitten. Climbing the tree was easy enough, he wasn't as athletic a Ienobu, but wasn't as weak as others believed either. He reached a hand to grab the cat who let himself be held until Tsuna started climbing down.

The cat panicked and scratched the brunet on the arm. Surprised, Tsuna let go of the branch he was holding and fell. He barely had the time to catch the kitten and hold it close, hoping to shield it from the fall.

Just as he was about to crash painfully on the ground, his body was engulfed in bright orange fire that slowed his fall. He found himself uninjured, sitting on the ground and holding a scared but unharmed kitten who ran away in a hurry.

Once the shock faded, Tsuna realized the strange fire came from him. He could still feel it inside his chest, ready to burst out. He checked no-one was around and tried to summon the fire again. It answered his call. Less violently than the first time, he saw a beautiful orange flame shimmering on his hand.

Since then, every day before going home for dinner, Tsuna would find a deserted area of Namimori (he knew the town enough by now that it was an easy task) and practiced summoning and manipulating the weird, pretty fire from his body. The first times after the adrenaline rush, it was difficult to force the flame to appear, but he learnt fast. He tried drawing out as much as he could, turning it in different shapes, calling multiple flames on his fingers at once... He also discovered that the orange fire only burned what he wanted it to. It could be a calming, warm, harmless flame, or a violent, burning, dangerous one depending on his will.

()()()()()()

Tsuna's life took a turn for the better one day, while he was searching for en empty place to practice his control. He was walking across the deserted factories of Namimori when he saw three older boys, probably high-schoolers, laughing and kicking something on the floor.

Following his intuition and ignoring common sense, the brunet got closer to see what they were so focused on. It was a tiny little bird, yellow and round-shaped, with wings so small it was a wonder if could fly at all.

It was currently on the ground, his left wing obviously crooked and injured and receiving kicks from the laughing high-schoolers.

Let it be known that, while Tsuna never fought against his own bullies anymore, he couldn't leave anyone (or anything) else be harmed under his watch if he could help it. He raced to the bird, pushing the older kids and curled up around the fluff ball. He yelled for the bullies to stop harming the bird, that it didn't deserve this.

The high-schoolers were surprised, but swiftly got over it and started hitting the new kid instead. His already battered appearance clearly showed him to be regularly bullied and they didn't like others to interrupt their fun anyway. Nobody would mind.

Tsuna took the beating without a word, he was used to it, although the older kids hit harder than kindergarteners. He protected the birds who seemed to understand the situation and squeaked thankfully.

However, the high-schoolers rapidly got tired of the unresponsive Tsuna and picked up rusted pipes on the ground to hit him harder and make him react.

Tsuna saw this and understood that if he let them, he would have more than bruises and cuts to deal with. And the bird would be harmed farther. He did the only thing he could think of. Moments before the metal pipes connected with his body, he let his flames out violently, aiming to melt them and maybe burn the hands of his attackers. He knew he shouldn't let anyone see his power, but this was an emergency. And nobody would believe kids who said fire burst out of a kindergartener...

It worked exactly like he wanted. The pipes melted in a fraction of a second and the bullies' hands were just a bit singed. However, they didn't react like Tsuna had expected. Instead of running away in fear, all three screamed, panicked and began picking up more make-shift weapons, wanting to destroy the monster in front of them.

Tsuna realized that he wouldn't escape without seriously harming the older boys and didn't know what to do. He refused to use his ability to really hurt anyone, it would just be another way of bullying. But he was still stuck...

What neither Tsuna nor the high-schoolers knew was that their whole interaction had been seen. On top of one of the abandoned factories stood a figure. A 6-year-old who first saw the bullies kicking the bird and was about to descend on them when another child jumped in. He saw when the apparently-not-Herbivore released flames obviously controlled enough not to seriously injure the other Herbivores. He saw the not-Herbivore-but-evidently-not-Carnivore's reluctance to harm his attackers and decided it was time to step in.

Hibari Kyoya was interested in the not-Herbivore who could somehow summon such powerful flames that they melted metal and didn't want it to be killed so soon. "I'll bite you Herbivores to death".

He jumped on one of the bullies, tonfas out and already lashing, and made quick work of the three high-schoolers.

Once his job of keeping the peace was accomplished, he made for the still sitting brunet who was watching, scared. He knew who he was facing. Hibari Kyoya was already well-known as a demon child who 'bit to death' anyone who opposed him or destroyed the 'peace of Namimori'. His weird speech pattern about the animal kingdom was also infamous and people no longer felt offended at being called 'Herbivores'. Or just were too scared to voice their problem. Tsuna just prayed to any and all gods that he hadn't seen him use his flames.

"Fake-Herbivore, what was that fire you used?"

Apparently the gods didn't like Tsuna...

The brunet stayed quiet, which annoyed the raven head.

"Fake-Herbivore" he knew the creature in front of him was _not_ a Herbivore, Herbivores don't catch on fire unharmed, but didn't have any other name to call him. A Carnivore wouldn't have hesitated to bite the other Herbivores to death. "Answer my question" he threatened.

Tsuna saw that he wouldn't get out without answering the other boy, but he didn't know exactly how to explain his power either. " It... It's an ability I have" he began shakily, knowing that if the other didn't have a satisfactory answer, he would be bitten to death. "I can summon orange fire from inside of me. It can burn if I want it to, or it can just be warm..." he trailed off, not knowing precisely what the raven head wanted to hear.

Kyoya was thinking. The ability the... let's call it an Omnivore for now, his father had told him about their existence once. Anyway, the ability the Omnivore displayed was pretty interesting. Perhaps...

"Can I learn it?"

Tsuna was flabbergasted. He didn't know how the other would react to any answer, so he settled with the truth. "I don't know, Hibari-san. I have never seen anyone use the same ability before, but maybe you can learn it."

That settled it for Kyoya. If there was a chance he could have such a destructive ability, he would take it. Even if it meant crowding with the Omnivore. He seemed to at least not be the overly-chatty or overbearing type, so the raven could bear his presence for a while... Or bite him to death if he became too annoying.

"You will teach me how to use those flame" he declared and the brunet's face paled even more. "You are still in kindergarten, so I will pick you up after it ends every day until I can". There was only one big kindergarten in all of Namimori, so he knew where to find him. He would also research about the Omnivore while he was at it. Maybe it would help him gain those flames.

Without another explanation, Hibari jumped to a nearby rooftop and left the area, leaving a shell-shocked Tsunayoshi behind with an injured bird.

After half an hour of opening and closing his mouth, the brunet remembered where he was and the three knocked out high-schoolers around him and promptly left as well, the bird carefully cradled in his arms.

They reached an empty park (it was only the beginning of spring, still too cold to play out) and Tsuna began treating the bird's injuries with the healing kit he always carried. He had some experience with his own wounds and did his best to bandage the left wing of the fluff ball. Once again, the little thing squeaked in thanks.

Now Tsuna didn't know what to do with the bird. Bringing it home was out of the question, it would be a catastrophe if his mother or brother stumbled across it. He eventually settled with creating a small shelter for it in a tree (to avoid predators) and to cover the inside with his spare clothes to try and keep it warm. He would visit it tomorrow with something to eat. Too bad he didn't have any money with him, but his mother never gave him any and his bullies would probably end up taking it either way.

He totally forgot about Hibari telling him he would pick him up after school. After all, it sounded so unreal...

()()()()()()

The next day went like all the others until kindergarten was over. Tsuna was about to sneak out with some leftover toast to feed the bird when he was caught by the collar.

"Where are you going, Omnivore?" growled a kid in elementary school clothes.

Tsuna hadn't seen him coming, and started when he recognized him. Oh my god, how had he forgotten about _that_?

"Hi-Hibari-san! I-I'm sorry I forgot about that! B-But I have to go ch-check on that bird, I have to g-go feed it!" he said, his voice so low from fear that only Kyoya heard him. The other kids and parents had stepped back from the 'demon child' and were watching terrified, and a bit amused in the case of the kindergarteners : Dame-Tsuna was obviously going to get one heck of a beating.

Hibari was thinking. He would never admit it, but he had a soft spot for small animals. He had expected the Omnivore to take the bird home after that, but it apparently wasn't the case. That meant the bird was outside, injured somewhere and waiting to be fed...

He pulled the brunet outside, away from prying ears, and asked "Where is the bird, Omnivore?" Tsuna was surprised both at the question and the way he was called, but pointed to the direction of the park nevertheless. Kyoya kept dragging the other, who sometimes pointed in the right direction in silence, until they were under a tree with a small shelter in the higher branches.

Retrieving the bird and setting it on the floor, he observed the bandages on the wing. Hibari's love of small animals meant he had saved a number of them and had some knowledge about treating them. The bandage was OK, not the best, but still showed some experience. Not that he was surprised : after investigating the Omnivore (he found his name in the student registry, his photo was easy to find thanks to that ridiculous hair), he discovered that he was supposedly stupid and clumsy with the nickname of Dame-Tsuna. It was easy to guess that such a pathetic student would be frequently bullied and injured.

Though somehow, the record didn't seem very accurate. Not to talk about the flame power, but the brunet's reaction time when threatened or questioned, his knowledge of how to build shelters (he made a nice one, to be honest. It blocked the wind and kept the bird inside warm) didn't belong on a hopelessly useless student. And he hadn't fallen or even stumbled once while dragged by the arm by Kyoya, so how could he be so clumsy?

Anyway, Tsuna proceeded to feed the bird his toast. Checking the injury himself : it seemed to be healing nicely. Suddenly a stupid idea went through his head and he found himself talking without thinking. "You seem to like birds, since you went with me to see this one. Could you keep it at your home until it heals? I can't take it to mine." He suddenly shut his mouth. _What the hell was he (not) thinking? Asking HIBARI KYOYA to keep a bird? He was going to get bitten to death!_

Hibari was staring at him and seemed to be contemplating. He _did_ want to take the bird home, but didn't want others to know of his love of small animals. But then again, if the Omnivore ever talked, he could just bite him to death, along with anyone who heard him.

"Hn" he nodded. Tsuna was stunned. "I was taking you to my house either way, so you can show me those flames. I can take the bird too". And he picked up the yellow fluff ball, turned and walked to his home. A threatening glare towards Tsuna got the brunet on his feet and promptly following in silence.

Hibari's home was a huge Japanese mansion. The kind you see in movies with paper sliding doors and a koi pond. Tsuna was awed as the raven gently set the bird on a table and he was led to the backyard, that seemed to double as a training ground. The few servants they passed were obviously just as stunned to see their young master in the company of another _human being_.

Kyoya just sat them in the center and ordered "Start".

Tsuna had the whole trip to figure out how to 'teach' the use of flames. For some reason, his intuition told him that everything would be alright, and it calmed him a bit. He had relied on it since very young and had absolute trust in it. "Well, the first time my flames appeared, I was about to fall and hurt myself." Hibari arched an eyebrow. "But I'm not sure you have to be in danger to use it. I mean, since then I can summon them freely whenever I want" he called a flame in his hand to demonstrate. Hibari was focused on him, but his intuition kept him calm and he continued. "I know those flames come from somewhere inside of me, so, if you have them too, you have to find a way to call them out."

"And what if I don't feel any flame inside of me now?" questioned Kyoya. He was obviously very serious about learning that ability and it set Tsuna at ease. He knew he would not get randomly bitten to death as long as he gave it his all in teaching. And that, he could do.

"It probably doesn't mean anything" he explained. "I didn't feel any fire inside my chest before I first summoned my flames either. But since the first time they appeared, it's always been there."

Kyoya nodded while thinking. "Was the first time your flames appeared the first time you were in danger?"

Tsuna winced. He had been in danger plenty of times before that. Due to his mother's neglect, his bullies or his brother's beatings at home. But the flames never appeared before the cat incident. It suddenly clicked in Tsuna's mind. "I know! I've been in danger and hurt before, but the first time the flames came was when I wanted to protect something, a cat actually."

The raven seemed doubtful and a bit disappointed. "I protect Namimori all the time and I've never felt any flames."

Tsuna shook his head. "The flames are more of a mental sort of thing. It's not what's outside of you that matters, but what's inside. I think I first summoned my flames because I really wanted to protect that cat from the fall. So if you do something you really want to do, maybe yours will appear, if you have some that is" but he didn't honestly doubt that Hibari Kyoya had flames. For one the boy was much more amazing than himself. It seemed odd to bullied and neglected Tsuna that 'Dame-Tsuna' could do or have something that the 'demon child of Namimori' could not. Also, his intuition seemed convinced that the older child could do this.

Hibari frowned. "What I want to do the most is to have those flames."

Tsuna sweat-dropped. The other boy was really not helping him. "Well, maybe if you focus very hard on that wish it will come true. It took me a while for me to summon my flames on purpose once the rush and the panic of the first time fell down."

"Hn, so meditation could help? My family has some techniques to help focus" asked the raven. He really wanted the ability to use flames and would be 'civil' (well, Hibari-civil at least) if it meant he could achieve that. And he also understood that the Omnivore in front of him didn't have any theoretical knowledge of his power. He could only teach according to his own experience and guesses. Pushing him and threatening him even more would be of no use, apart from scaring the boy and making him less willing to teach.

(Remember that Kyoya is still a 6-year-old. He's not nearly as ruthless and uncompromising as he would be growing up).

Tsuna's intuition flared at Hibari's suggestion. That seemed like a good starting point. "It could work, you'll have to try to see for sure".

Kyoya nodded. Then he realized that with their detour to see the bird (whose shelter was located on the other side of town) they had no time left before his next patrol. "I have to go patrol. You go back home, Omnivore, I'll fetch you tomorrow after school."

The brunet just went along, already knowing that whatever issue he had with that plan would be at best ignored, at worst dealt with a tonfa in the face. Better to stay quiet and obediently go home. It was almost time for dinner anyway.

Kyoya didn't realize until much later, after beating two groups of peace-disturbing Herbivores, that not once had he felt like bitting the Omnivore to death during the day. Which was a first. His family members, he could tolerate since he recognized them all as Carnivores and he didn't spend a lot of time with them a once. Even his parents were rarely home (not that any of them minded, all Hibaris needed their space). It was the first time since he could remember that he spent hours at once with another human being without murderous urges. It goes to show exactly how strange the Omnivore was.

When he came home late at night from his patrol, he checked on the bird in the living room. It was sleeping, but woke up when he got close. Kyoya fed him some bread and vegetables (why did they have that in his house while he was a Carnivore? Well, the servants liked to eat other things than meat). He took the bird to his room, settled it on another table, surrounded by cloth to be comfortable and went to bed. He dreamt of bright orange flames and deep purple fire.


	3. That was covered by clouds

Another Path Part 3 : That was covered by clouds

 **Wow, 8 reviews, 65 favorites and 123 follows. Just wow. I never expected that much once my story was finished, so just for 2 chapters... It feels unreal. Thank you all so much.**

 **And don't hesitate to tell me what you think I could do better (or any mistakes I made). I like to improve my writing. Thank you again.**

The next day was a little rough for Tsunayoshi. The students had been surprised in the morning to see him without any new wounds and some (including Ienobu who had already noticed he previous day at diner) thought such a mistake had to be corrected. Tsuna was hounded by bullies during each break and was covered in bruises by the time school came to an end.

The offenders, guided and encouraged by a pissed Nobu and whose parents couldn't come pick up until later, planned to target Tsuna at the exit, drag him somewhere less visible and do the job that Hibari Kyoya obviously forgot the previous day.

Tsuna, who wasn't quite as stupid as people wanted to believe, had seen it coming and was actually hoping that said Hibari Kyoya would be waiting for him outside. Not that the 6-year-old wasn't scary, but at least, he wouldn't harm you if you kept to his (very personal and objective) rules. And he knew the boy needed his help to try and summon his flames.

When the bell finally rang, Tsuna didn't wait for the teacher to allow them to leave and rushed to the door with his bag. Hibari wasn't in the hall but Tsuna expected that. The prefect knew he wouldn't run from him (the brunet had actually complied with his demands yesterday, why wouldn't he today) and he most definitely wouldn't wait and crowd with the waiting parents.

But his bullies (minus Ienobu whose mother came to retrieve, conveniently forgetting her other son) were hot on his tail and Tsuna needed to reach safety fast. Dodging the legs of parents, he ran outside and was probably the first person ever to feel glad to see Hibari Kyoya waiting for him.

The boy was scowling at anyone who got to close, but soon spotted the brunet exiting the building in a hurry. The reason for that rush soon became obvious when he discovered the bunch of taller kids running after the Omnivore, so focused on him that they didn't see the sadistic grin forming on the raven's lips.

Finally something to evacuate the annoyance of waiting outside with the weak Herbivores.

The bullies never saw him coming.

Two minutes and a pile of unconscious kids later, Tsuna was following a refreshed Kyoya to his home with a small thankful smile. The servants were even more stunned than the other day : what kind of mental disease did you need to agree to follow their young master twice in a row and _with a smile_?

Hibari lead the younger boy to the backyard where they were greeted by a shrill "Hibari, Hibari!"

The brunet quickly located the origin of the sound and opened wide eyes at the sight of the yellow fluff ball from the other day on a low branch and with his left wing in a cast. He didn't know the thing could talk! He turned inquisitive eyes to Hibari, who was still in enough of a good mood to answer "That specie can learn words. I called a veterinarian Herbivore to make sure its wing would heal correctly. Now Omnivore, let us start."

Tsuna ignored the squeals of 'Omnivore, Omnivore!' in the background and asked "Have you found meditation techniques?"

Kyoya nodded and pulled an old book from his jacket (probably a dimensional pocket thought Tsuna, there was no other way the rather short boy could hide two tonfas and a book there otherwise). He opened it and proceeded to follow the instructions. "What did it feel like when the flames first appear?" he inquired.

"Ah, well it's a bit hard to describe. I guess I suddenly felt very warm in my chest, like something was growing inside. And for a moment, I felt very calm for some reason. Like very, very calm when I was still falling from that tree. It felt strangely natural too to be honest. Like something that was always supposed to be there finally was."

Tsuna had spent the time during lessons actually thinking of how to help Hibari awaken his flames. It was after all the closest relation he ever had with anyone else. And he suspected it was the same for the raven : Tsuna had noticed he tolerated his presence better than anyone else he had seen so far. Hibari had always answered his questions and had actually held a semi-normal conversation with him. He knew the boy mostly wanted to use that flame ability, but Tsuna couldn't help but feel warm inside. It was the closest to friendship he ever experienced.

Hibari was about to start meditating when Tsuna got a book out of his bag and asked "Since I can't really help you meditating, I was wondering if I could study. I'll stay close if you have any question or if you need something of course".

After taking a look at the book and arching an eyebrow at the sight of a manual for mid-level Italian, Hibari gave a small nod and closed his eyes to focus. It's true that the Omnivore couldn't help him meditating, and as long as he didn't bother him, it wouldn't pose a problem. Receiving a nod from the other boy, Tsuna got himself comfortable on the ground and focused on his manual. He had the basics of Italian and needed to increase his vocabulary now.

Eight days passed in a similar manner, with Hibari picking Tsuna up after school (which baffled his bullies an brother) or early at home when the weekend came (thankfully Tsuna always woke up early and actually bumped in Hibari on the way to his house, and how did he know his address exactly?). The two boys would spend the day in silence respectively meditating or studying Italian. During weekends, a servant even brought Hibari and a grateful Tsuna something to eat at lunch. They parted before dinnertime. Hibari would have been fed up normally by this routine, but the for some reason, he tolerated the Omnivore's presence (he wouldn't admit to appreciating the company) and he could _feel_ that he was close to a breakthrough. Sometimes it felt like the fire he was reaching for was just at the tip of his fingers.

On the ninth day, after a few hours had passed in silence, Tsuna suddenly raised his head and stared at the raven head. He could have sworn he felt something similar to his flames coming from Hibari. It was a bit different, but the overall feeling was the same.

He kept staring until suddenly, a wisp of a purple flame burst on the boy's open palm. Apparently Kyoya felt it as well, since he opened his eyes, looking a bit surprised. Tsuna was grinning "You did it Hibari-san! There definitely was a purple flame on your hand just now!"

The 6-year-old just stared at his hand for a moment before stating with an elusive smile "It feels strange, but it definitely feels like a fire in my chest. Do you know why my flame is purple?" he raised his head to stare at the Omnivore and the small flame died out. But the warmth inside remained.

"No idea, maybe it changes from one individual to the next. Anyway, if it is like me, it should be easier now to summon it. It was tricky at first, but after a week of training, I could call mine instantly."

Hibari nodded, still a bit surprised by the feeling in his chest. It wasn't unpleasant, it actually felt just like the Omnivore had explained : like something missing so far had finally been set. "Do you know ways to increase its power or to help manipulating it?"

"Well, again, it was trial-and-error, but I think I can help and tell you a few ways." The brunet stopped and seemed to realize something as his happy smile dropped. "I guess after that I won't have any reason to see you again". He was really depressed by the thought. His closest acquaintance _was_ Hibari Kyoya, no matter how odd that sounded.

The raven paused for a moment. He also slowly warmed up to the presence of the Omnivore. And strangely enough, he knew he would _miss_ him if they were to part ways there. Not that he would tell him, but the brunet had quickly become a part of his life that he didn't want to lose. He was the first individual that he recognized as an Omnivore, and the first person to actually agree to spend time with him (the half-threats at the beginning were never repeated and Tsuna always followed him willingly after that).

"Hn, I guess you could continue coming here after this. That way, you won't threaten the peace of Namimori by wandering around."

Hibari could see the brunet's face light up more and more at each word. It seems he was really distraught at the idea of not meeting with the 6-year-old anymore. It made the raven head feel warm inside, but he dismissed it with the fire ability's warmth.

"So" began Tsuna with hesitation. He didn't want his next sentence to be ill-received by the older boy, but needed to be sure. Kyoya was just wondering what put him in such a herbivorous state. "We meet every day and we spend time together. I know we don't know much about each other, but doesn't that make us... friends?" he asked hopefully.

Hibari stayed silent for a long time and Tsuna was squirming anxiously. Truthfully, Kyoya couldn't deny what the Omnivore said. He did spend an awful lot of time in his presence, and somehow found himself to enjoy it. He also did want to spend more time in the future with the only person he felt comfortable around (now that he thought back on it, _how_ did he feel relaxed enough with Tsuna nearby that he lowered his guard and _meditated_?).

It was just that 'being friends' sounded like too much of a herbivorous term for him to be using. Then again, the small brunet in front of him looked so desperate for his approval that even the demon on Namimori didn't have the heart to say no. And it was true either way...

"Hn, I suppose we are" he said between his teeth, looking anywhere but the sparkling amber eyes before him. How can the Omnivore not be embarrassed by this and emit such a shiny, happy aura? Maybe it was an Omnivore's thing.

Tsuna would have hugged the raven if he didn't remember that the boy loathed crowding and human contact. But he still grinned like a loon. "So you're my first friend, Hibari-san!"

Hibari hesitated a moment before answering "Kyoya".

"What?" Tsuna thought he misheard. It wasn't possible.

"If we are to be" he paused for a second, the word foreign on his tongue. "friends, you should call me Kyoya".

Tsuna looked like he was about to burst into tears and Hibari was on the verge of panicking : he did _not_ know how to deal with a crying Omnivore, except maybe with a tonfa on the head, but that didn't seem appropriate in this situation.

"Kyoya-san?" he tried, unsure. Then a huge smile bloomed on his face. "Then you should call me Tsunayoshi. Or just Tsuna since my full name is a mouthful".

"Tsunayoshi it is, then" Hibari turned his head, attempting to hide the slight blush on his cheeks. It was the first time he called anyone apart from family by their first name. Tsuna pretended not to notice. "Anyway", he shook himself "you should head back home. It is almost time for me to start my patrols".

Kyoya noticed once again the slight frown that appeared at the word 'home' but didn't comment. He had already realized that something was wrong with his... it was still strange, but anyway... Something was wrong with his _friend_ 's home life. His brother obviously enjoyed tormenting him judging from his behavior at school. He saw his mother come pick up her younger son (and they were related, Hibari had checked), completely ignoring the older twin chased by bullies. Tsunayoshi was _always_ outside and seemed to avoid going to his house as much as possible for a 4-year-old. And don't get him started on the bruises an cuts that everyone seemed to consciously avoid seeing.

Then again, there was the weird attitude of those at kindergarten. The nickname 'Dame-Tsuna was highly unwarranted. The boy wasn't the most athletic kid, but he was certainly not as clumsy as his reputation. Hell, he could walk around town non-stop for almost an entire day. At four! Kyoya could do that too, but he was well aware that he was an exception. And don't try to make him believe a stupid student with grades like those he saw (yes, he did see Tsuna's grades too. What, he was just curious!) could study with such discipline another language. How come the Omnivore had multiple _zeros_ on tests to see if he knew his symbols when he could read without problems a book half in Japanese, half in Italian?

Hibari had already made up his mind. Since he already accepted that he was Tsunayoshi's friend, he would play his part fully. And that meant he would question the boy on his nonsensical situation the next time they met.

But for now, he had to patrol the streets.

As Tsuna was leaving the Hibari mansion, he was surprised to see his new friend walking by his side. "Hi- I mean Kyoya-san? Why are you going this way, don't you normally start patrolling in the other direction?"

"I can patrol the streets in whatever order I want" he huffed. "And I want to make sure you make it home without incidents. You're always covered in small injuries". Tsuna blushed. He didn't know that Hibari had noticed the wounds he did his best to hide.

"You will have to explain to me how you got them tomorrow after kindergarten" he added.

Tsuna lowered his head, but nodded. He was aware he couldn't hide his situation from the older boy forever, and was grateful for the added time to gather his thoughts.

The two kids with a special flame ability walked to the home of the brunet in silence.

()()()()()()

"She what?" growled Hibari. He had never heard of such a stupid reason for neglecting a child the way Tsuna just told him Nana did.

"She misses her husband" began Tsuna while petting the now healed bird in his lap "who is almost always absent for his work, and, since Ienobu looks a lot like him, she focuses all her attention on him. At least that's what I understood. She's always fussing about how her 'adorable No-kun is so much like his father, it's like she sees him here'" he explains with a tinge of bitterness. Nana never directed such loving words and eyes to him. "She's so focused on Nobu that she forgets I'm here half the time. And she sees Nobu as such a great child that she believes whatever he tells her.

Iemitsu, my father, and don't ask me what his job is, I have no idea. He gives us those ridiculous explanations and fake postcards, and expect us to believe his lies. Well, Mama and Nobu buy it. Anyway, he tries to be more fair and to give us the same amount of attention, but he's closer to Nobu since they have more in common. Also, whenever he tries to talk to me, Nobu draws his attention back to him and throws a tantrum if be doesn't comply immediately. But since Iemitsu is almost never home, it wouldn't change anything if he tried harder to create bonds with me."

Kyoya didn't really know where to start, but truly wanted to help his first friend (he had managed to more or less assimilate that idea during the night) so he asked the first thing that came to mind. "Do you always call your father by his first name?"

"Oh, well, I hardly remember him to be honest. During the last two years, he only came back home three times for a week each time and left. And we don't have anything that could be called father-child bonds. That, and he tends to believe whatever Nobu says too, like how I cheated during my first test."

"You cheated during a test?" Hibari was doubtful. He despised any form of cheating and breaking rules, but the child before him was one of the most honest kids he ever met. It just didn't click.

"No, I had full marks at the Japanese test honestly, but Nobu, who had a lower grade, told the teacher I had a paper with the answers with me." Tsuna said in the most blank tone possible. Kyoya could tell he was actually upset. "The teacher believed him, and so did the rest of the class when she confronted me. Nobu had told everyone that I'm a stupid clumsy no-good child and, since everyone sees him as a leader, they trusted him, hence my reputation as Dame-Tsuna. Anyway, the teacher ended up calling my parents (it was one of the weeks Iemitsu was there) and they believed that it was true as well. Mama always said Nobu was smarter than me, and Iemitsu has never been around long enough to see for himself that it's wrong. Not that I want to brag, but I'm quite smart. At least when it comes to languages. I can already speak and write fluently in Japanese and English, and I'm doing well with Italian so far." A sliver of pride finally appeared in his voice.

Kyoya nodded. It made sense and would explain part of the mystery. But not all of it. "So how exactly did you get all those injuries and why doesn't anyone notice?"

"Nobody notices since they believe, and by 'they' I mean the teachers, and Iemitsu when he's here, that it is due to my 'hopeless clumsiness'. The others don't care, like Mama and most of the students, some teachers too, or they are the ones responsible. When they catch me, bullies never hold back, and Nobu gives them a hand. Actually, he hits me often at home and tells Mama that it's because I started it or that I was mean to him. Mama always believes him, and even sometimes hits me herself when she thinks I 'wronged' Nobu. Like if I eat some snacks she bought for him." Tsuna was close to tears but held them back. He knew Kyoya wouldn't know how to deal with them. And it still felt good to get everything off his chest. He never had anyone to confide in. At least no-one who would believe him.

"And why don't you use your power to stop that? You could have easily beat them all up with the control you have on your flames." Hibari was growing increasingly more enraged. He appeared calm, but he was boiling inside, he could even feel his flame shifting furiously in his chest. He hadn't known the Omnivore for very long, but he could tell that Tsunayoshi, his first friend, didn't deserve such treatment.

"Well... You see, I have a pretty accurate intuition, I can usually tell which way to go and which to avoid for instance, or if there is something important I have to see or do. It never failed me and even saved my life quite a few time. And every time I got bullied, it always told me that I should keep my ability hidden. The time with Hibird" he petted the fluff ball who was thus named due to his attachment to the older boy. "was an exception. Those high-schoolers were really going to injure me and the little one."

Hibari nodded. It made some sense. The ability to summon fire was strange, and who knows how people would react to it. The three attackers had certainly reacted badly, trying to kill the Omnivore. It was a power that was to be used as a last resort, and Kyoya would keep it as such. At least when he got enough control over it to use it in a fight.

Speaking of fights. "Since you can't seem to defend yourself without revealing your power, Tsunayoshi, I have decided to teach you how to fight properly" he declared and was met with a surprised brunet.

"Fight, Kyoya-san?" Tsuna seemed hesitant. "I don't know. I don't like using violence. Not that I think your way of dealing with things is wrong, but I don't think injuring others suits me." He had his eyes downcast.

"You can use fighting abilities to injure or to protect yourself. It is possible to incapacitate an opponent without wounding him, and that leaves you time to move." It wasn't a strategy Hibari used, but his parents had told him about it and he could see how it would fit Tsunayoshi. The Omnivore had proven that he didn't like harming others the day they met, but also that he could show his fangs if he really needed to. Now Kyoya just had to make sure those fangs were sharp enough.

Tsuna was considering that point. "I guess, if you say so. You're the fighting expert here. But are you sure you want to teach me? I'm not as useless as I'm made to be, but I'm most definitely not as athletic or powerful as you."

"I wouldn't have told you if I wasn't sure. You need to at least be able to defend yourself against those bullies. I'll teach you the basics." What neither boy knew was that a Hibari's definition of basic fighting abilities was high. Like very high compared to the rest of the world. "And you can think of it as a way to return you teaching me how to call and manipulate my flames".

Tsuna shook his head. "Me teaching you was not in hopes of anything. Besides you pretty much figured it out by yourself, I did almost nothing. And you would find a way to manipulate and strengthen your flames without me too, the most I can offer are some tips based on personal experience." Kyoya was about to retort when Tsuna interrupted him. "How about I teach you something else to make up for you teaching me fighting? That way, we won't have to argue about this anymore. The only thing I could teach you that you don't see at school are languages, though. So how about it, Kyoya-san? Want to learn to speak English and Italian?" asked the brunet with a smile.

Hibari just couldn't seem to find the strength to say no to that face. He hoped it wouldn't be a common occurrence. Truthfully, he wasn't very interested in learning any language besides Japanese, but he figured that it wouldn't hurt to know a few more. And Tsunayoshi seemed very excited by that prospect. "Alright, I'll teach you fighting techniques and you'll teach me languages."

Tsuna beamed at him. He couldn't believe yet that he had found a friend willing to spend time with him. It was a wonderful feeling.

"Well, now that this is settled and you know all about my life, could you tell me more about you?" asked Tsuna.

"What do you want to know?"

"Well... Why you always go on patrols for instance."

"My family has always kept the peace of Namimori and prevented any unlawful Herbivores from disturbing it. My parents are not here at the moment, so it is my job to bite them to death" replied Hibari calmly. He refrained from adding that beating the hell out of delinquents and criminals was a great outing for the frustration of sharing his city with lowly Herbivores, law-abiding or no. He didn't want Tsunayoshi to take it personally when it was not. And he had a feeling the Omnivore wouldn't understand the notion of refreshing violence.

"And where are your parents, if you don't mind me asking" hurriedly added the 4-year-old. He knew all too well that family matters could be a delicate subject.

"I don't mind. They each work abroad, and I don't see them very often. But it's fine that way, none of us really enjoy being around each other for too long. We're close, but like to keep our freedom. They still call from time to time and send messages for big occasions." And Kyoya was truly fine with that. He knew his parents loved him and cared for him in their own way and they didn't crowd around him.

"And what do they do for a living?"

At this, Hibari paused. He knew that his parents' respective occupations were not accepted by people in general. But then again, the Omnivore was different from anybody else. He didn't want to shock him and make him leave, but he also somehow trusted that Tsunayoshi wouldn't end their friendship for such a thing. And the boy had just told him his secrets, from his power to his family situation. It was only fair for Kyoya to do the same.

"My mother works as an intelligence officer" he started carefully, keeping an eye on the Omnivore's reaction. "She finds and arrests people who commit international crimes." That was the easy part. "My father... works as a free-lance assassin."

Tsuna was surprised by that piece of information, but believed that people who cared about Kyoya couldn't be so bad. In comparison, his own mistreating family sounded worse. No, what really puzzled him was "How can your parents be married when they work on different sides of the law? Isn't it a contradiction?"

Kyoya let out the breath he didn't know he was holding. Yep, the Omnivore was strange to be worried about that issue, but he supposed it was better that way. He really didn't know when he had grown so attached to Tsunayoshi that he feared him leaving that much.

"We Hibaris like to have our freedom. We follow our own rules and uphold them, but we don't force other family members to think the same way. My parents both follow the way of life they believe in" there was a hint of pride in his tone. "They always put any differences in opinion aside when they come home. It's the same with all Hibaris. We let each other do what we want as long as we don't bother the others, but when we all meet or one of us needs backup, we all move to answer" now, Kyoya was glowing with pride. Tsuna could see it and smiled. He saw that the raven head loved his family and that his family loved him. He would have almost felt jealous if he wasn't so glad for his friend.

"Anyway" Hibari cut Tsuna from his thoughts "if you have no more questions, we should begin your combat and my flame training. For now, you have to build up some muscle, so first teach me some techniques to help summon my flames and then run laps around the training grounds while I practice." ordered Kyoya.

Tsuna nodded cheerfully and proceeded to explain how best to call his flames to the surface and showed how he did it. Then he started running around the backyard as Hibari sat down to focus on his training. He knew it would be tough, and that Kyoya would expect him to do things seriously, and he would, but for now he couldn't help the smile creeping on his face.

Doing things with friends was so much fun.


	4. That led to a new home

Another Path Part 4 : That led to a new home

 **Thank you for all your kind reviews, I read them all, but didn't have time to answer, sorry. Problems with my apartment (those idiots lost my file TWICE). You have no idea how happy I feel each time I read one. And thank you to all those who favorite-d and followed too.**

 **I just need some help for something (farther much farther) in my story. It's about the characters who don't have canon box animals. Do you know what I-pin, Fuuta, Chrome (or Mukuro, but only one is going to have the owl and I think it fits Mukuro better), Kyoko, Haru, Hana, Shoichi and Spanner could have? Or tell me if they already have one and I missed it, please. I have an idea for some, but nothing I am completely satisfied with.**

 **Disclaimer : (for all the chapters I wrote or will write in the future) I don't own KHR.**

Days turned into months and Tsunayoshi and Kyoya got closer. They met every day at the raven's place to teach each other fighting, English and how to use flames. Hibari was slower than the brunet when it came to learning to summon his power at will. Once he managed to reach that point, they both realized that Tsuna was actually very talented with his orange flames. Kyoya had a harder time controlling his and couldn't call as much out as his friend could after the same amount of time and training. It frustrated him slightly, but he also understood that people were different and that the Omnivore was truly a genius in that field. He would just continue practicing until he reached the same level as his friend.

His languages lessons also progressed smoothly. Kyoya wasn't very interested in those, but he was smart, and always gave his all in anything he started (slacking was the epitome of herbivorous behavior). Plus, Tsunayoshi was very enthusiastic about it and was a decent teacher. He adapted his explanations to Hibari's thought pattern (some grammarian rules turned to herbivores bitten to death by stronger carnivorous laws somehow) and the raven head could speak almost fluent English after just 6 months.

Tsuna's training was more hectic. He had built up enough muscle by the end of the second week for his friend to begin showing him some moves. The theory was fine and the brunet memorized the techniques quickly. However, when the time came for them to have spars (Kyoya was deliberately holding back for Tsuna to progress) there was an issue. Tsunayoshi had a hard time fighting and hitting his friend, even when he knew he couldn't really hurt him. It was to the point that any time he was about to start a move, defensive or offensive, he stopped half-way and Kyoya could just stare.

Thankfully, the now 7-year old raven found a solution when he offered to have Tsuna follow him on his patrol once. A delinquent, seeing that he couldn't do anything to the demon of Namimori, decided to have a petty revenge by attacking the smaller brunet that followed him. The Omnivore quickly demonstrated that his reservations were only relevant in the face of a friend and used one of the moves Kyoya showed him to send the teenager delinquent to the ground, knocked out. Hibari was very proud.

After that incident, the two boys agreed that Tsunayoshi would follow Kyoya on his patrols from then on, and practice his techniques on anyone who came after him. And when someone had to choose between facing the terrifying, tonfa-wielding monster and the small, cute, harmless-looking kid behind him, well... Let's just say Tsuna had plenty of practice targets.

Hibari caught Tsuna's eyes glowing orange a few time when he was focused on his opponent. He mentioned it, but Tsuna couldn't explain it. He hadn't even known about this phenomenon until the raven head told him. Hibari just left it at that. The Omnivore was weird, nothing new.

When summer holidays came, the boys started hanging out together. Not just staying at Kyoya's home (the servants had warmed up to the strange brunet after seeing that he wasn't _another_ bloodthirsty demon. They loved their young master, but they adored his kind-hearted friend) or going on patrols together (the trouble makers still didn't register Tsuna as a threat and still went for him first. It became a battle strategy to send him first and have Kyoya attack from the back). They went to the arcade, to eat ice cream and other things kids their age would do. Well, as long as the amount of crowding in the place wasn't too high and it wasn't one of Ienobu's favorite area.

Speaking of Ienobu, Hibari finally came face to face with him. And he hated the brat.

He and Tsuna had agreed on meeting in front of the public library that day : Tsuna wanted to start learning Chinese now that his Italian was fluent. He arrived early and was waiting for Kyoya when he came face to face with his twin and some of his friends (read : Tsuna's bullies).

"Hey, Dame-Tsuna what are you doing here" began a boy. That one especially enjoyed trapping Tsuna in the bathroom and pushing his face in the toilets. "You're going in the library? As if you can even read!" they all laughed.

"I'm surprised you managed to walk all the way here." added another child. This one seemed to enjoy most of all stealing the mere toast that Tsuna had for lunch. "You're so clumsy that you should have been hit by at least twenty cars on the way. The drivers must be lucky today : no bits of Dame-Tsuna to clean from their cars!"

"Come on" said Nobu to his friends in the most patronizing tone a child can pull off. "It's not his fault he's so stupid. He was like that since he was born." He faced Tsuna. "Even Mama says so. He was no good since birth, that's why she ignores him and prefers me. Poor Mama, having such a useless son. You should just kill yourself, Dame-Tsuna, it'll be a relief for everyone not to have to deal with you!" he mocked, and they all laughed.

They hadn't seen the face of the brunet lighten somewhere during the 'so stupid' part. Nor did they notice the irate presence behind them who heard the whole speech.

They only turned around when one of them suddenly cried out in pain. They saw a black haired boy two years older in the process of pummeling their friend in the ground with ominously shiny tonfas.

"For the crime of crowding, slandering and being total idiots and bastards, _I'll bite you all to death_!"

The beating was completely one-sided. Some kids tried to throw weak punches but Kyoya just responded with a tonfa on their fists and a disgusting breaking sound followed shortly by a cry of pain. The last two and Ienobu tried to run after seeing all their comrades fall and stay on the ground due to their suffering or -if they were lucky- blissful unconsciousness.

But no mere 4 or 5-year old could outrun the demon of Namimori (in fact, even grown-ups couldn't). Hibari sent the first on to the ground with a hit to his right knee. A sickening 'crack' was heard. A tonfa was thrown to the back of the second one's head and he crumbled without a sound.

Finally only a shocked Tsuna, a desperately fleeing Ienobu end a raging Kyoya were left.

The raven quickly tripped the blond, jumped on him and held him on the floor, with a tonfa against his neck. Nobu was half crying, half begging, but Hibari wouldn't stop. His free hand grabbed the other by the hair and raised his head.

"If" he growled "I ever see or hear you do or say anything bad about Tsunayoshi ever again, you will regret this time, when I still _only_ bite you to death". And he started striking the blond until he fell unconscious. By that time, his face was barely recognizable if not for his unusual hair color, and his body was covered in bruises, with a few cracked bones.

With a final spiteful kick, Hibari went to pick up his previously thrown tonfa and headed to his friend, who hadn't moved at all. It was then that he noticed the tears steaming down Tsuna's face.

He rushed to his side and started searching for any injuries, but the Omnivore stopped him. "I-It's j-just" he hiccuped between his sobs "th-the first t-time anyo-one defend-ded me ag-gainst N-Nobu..." Hibari just stared. He knew of his friend's situation, but it was the first time he saw him break down like that. Even when Tsuna was explaining everything to him, he didn't shed a single tear. "Th-Thank you K-Kyoya-s-san. Thank y-you so m-much fo-or b-being my f-friend".

Snapping out of his daze, Hibari gently guided the Omnivore away from the carnage and towards his house. They would come back to the public library another day : for now, Tsunayoshi needed a place safe to calm down. The sobbing brunet followed obediently, too upset to think properly. A few passer-byes threw him curious or offended looks, but a glare from Kyoya sent them back on their way.

Once in his home, Kyoya led his friend to his room, sat him in front of a low table and dismissed the worried staff. It was actually the first time Tsuna set foot in the bedroom, but neither noticed. The yellow bird that was sleeping on a table quickly flew on Tsunayoshi's knees and chirped "Omnivore, Omnivore! Happy, happy!" Realizing Hibird was trying to console him, Tsuna managed a shaky smile under his tears. Hibari was mentally thanking the bird. He was sitting shoulder to shoulder with his friend, but didn't know what else to do. Words were never his forte, unless they were threats (and even then, they tended to be quite similar).

They stayed there in silence until Tsuna fell asleep with his head in his arms on the table. It was already past diner time and Kyoya went to get a spare blanket and pillow, and settled them respectively over the sleeper's shoulders and under his head. Usually, the Omnivore was back home by this time, but even if he woke up, Hibari wasn't letting him head 'home' today. He would not face his bastard twin in this state. And the raven head doubted the neglecting mother would notice or care.

Kyoya went to sleep after preparing a make-shift bed on the floor next to his distraught friend.

The next morning, Hibari woke up first with the sound of the phone ringing. He made sure the brunet was still asleep before going to the living room to answer.

"Hibari residence." he said mechanically.

"Good afternoon, Kyoya. Or good morning for you in Japan." Replied a composed female voice. Kyoya immediately woke up completely from his lingering slumber. He could recognize his mother's voice after all. She didn't call very often and the timing was too suspicious for it to be a coincidence. One of the servants had probably informed her that the Omnivore had spent the night here.

Now, Kyoya had no idea how she would react. It was the first time such a situation occurred. "Good morning Mother." He decided to tackle the subject instead of beating around the bush. "I assume you heard about Tsunayoshi sleeping over."

"Indeed. Truthfully, I was wondering how this happened. If you could explain..." she trailed off.

Hibari was weighing his options. His mother worked for the Japanese Intelligence Agency. She would find out about the brunet either way. He would tell her the truth, but keep secret a few points, such as the flame ability. It was the Omnivore's secret to tell, not his.

"I met Sawada Tsunayoshi a few months ago and I was curious : he was neither a Herbivore nor a Carnivore, so I called him an Omnivore. He had an ability I found interesting and I wanted to learn it. We became..." again he hesitated, it was embarrassing to admit this to _his mother_. "friends and I'm teaching him to fight and he teaches me languages.

His mother neglects him in favor of his abusive younger twin brother for stupid, herbivorous reasons and his father is useless. He is also bullied at school because of his brother and yesterday, I saw that bastard Herbivore twin and his herd insulting him and bit them to death. Tsunayoshi was shocked because it was the first time anyone defended him and I brought him here to calm down. He fell asleep and I didn't want to send him back to those stupid Herbivores so he stayed the night." He had tried to keep his explanation as neutral and objective as possible, but he couldn't help the waves of anger that shook him when he talked about the Omnivore's family or yesterday's event, and he knew his mother had noticed.

Mrs Hibari stayed silent for a long minute and Kyoya was starting to worry. Maybe she would be against him befriending the Omnivore.

"I'm glad." She suddenly sighed and surprised Kyoya both with her unusual tone and her words. "Your father and I were always worried you would remain alone. That you found someone you're willing to call a _friend_ is a relief. He must be important to you if you are so upset about his family situation. I would like to meet him, but I won't be able to return to Namimori for a while, the same goes for your father. I'll inform him of this myself. And don't worry, Kyoya" she added "We support your friendship with this Sawada..." she trailed off for a second, as if the name was familiar. "No, I'm over-thinking this, it's unlikely they are related..." Kyoya heard her whisper to herself but dismissed it. Sawada was a fairly common name. "Anyway, we support your friendship with this Sawada Tsunayoshi, and any action you find necessary to help him. He is welcome in the house any day or night."

Kyoya was relieved. His parents accepted him befriending the Omnivore after all. Not that he would have stopped seeing him otherwise, but it was easier that way. And the raven head was still young, he unconsciously needed the approval of his parents.

The two Hibaris exchanged a few more words before hanging up, both with a heavy weight off their chests.

When Tsuna woke up, he took a full minute before remembering where he was and why. Then the events of yesterday came back, and he realized he had spent the night at Kyoya's. He hoped he hadn't been an inconvenience for the raven.

Just when he was about to stand up and search for his friend to apologize. The door slid open and Hibari entered with a tray containing two sets of traditional Japanese breakfast.

"Kyoya-san, good morning, thank you for letting me stay. I-I hope I wasn't a bother."

"Good morning to you. I would have kicked you out if you had been" he reassured in his own way. But Tsuna knew him enough to understand. "My mother called to know why you were staying here, one of the servants told her." He added. Tsuna was beginning to panic.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I hope you weren't in trouble because of me! I wouldn't..."Hibari interrupted his babbling by setting the tray on the table and handing his share to the flustered brunet.

"I am not in trouble and neither are you. My mother was... glad to know that I made a friend and doesn't mind you staying here, now or in the future. And I would not have let you go back to that house after what happened. The bastard Herbivore" judging by his face and intuition, Tsuna guessed that was Ienobu's new nickname. "has most likely told his mother that you were somehow responsible for his injuries and they will 'punish' you upon your return. I can't really stop them" and that powerlessness was eating him up from the inside, but he had no way to separate a mother from her children or to prove her neglect and abuse because of Tsuna's widespread reputation. "but I can at least keep you safe here until you are in good enough a state to face them."

To say that Tsuna was touched would be an understatement. He could clearly see how much Kyoya resented not being able to help him more and had no word strong enough to thank him for that.

"It will be fine, you already helped me more than I could have asked you to. I'm really, really grateful, Kyoya-san. Now, let's eat this breakfast : I'm hungry and it's been a while since I've seen such an appetizing one." Since his father last came in fact. The man always insisted for everyone to eat meals together and despite Nana's neglect, she always made some food for him when he was there. Well, most of the time. She had begun to forget his share of diner a few times lately... "Once we're done eating, I'll head back. Thanks to your helping me I can take this on. I'll come back here when this is dealt with."

He was smiling, but both children knew that he would get severely beaten. Kyoya felt bad for losing his (short) temper yesterday since the Omnivore would have to pay for it, but Tsunayoshi just shook his head and said that he would have just been beaten yesterday instead of today. And that it felt so nice to have someone stand up for him for once.

After eating, Tsuna went back home. He knew that fighting back would just make things more painful in the end and got heavily beaten without putting up a fight for 'paying some thugs to gang on poor Nobu' as his twin told their Mama. It was a ridiculous explanation : Tsuna had absolutely no money, unlike Ienobu. Kyoya paid for them both when they went out. And where would he have found thugs willing to do that? But as always Nana bought whatever her No-kun said. Between a blow with a crutch and a heel to the sides, Tsuna couldn't help but notice the cast on Nobu's left arm and leg, as well as the bandages around his head and torso. Kyoya had gone all out and it made him feel a bit better.

Once Nana and Ienobu got tired of hitting and insulting the curled up brunet, they left (Nana again cooing around her No-kun and asking if his injuries hurt). Tsuna slowly got out and limped towards Hibari's house as promised. He didn't expect to see the raven head waiting for him a few blocks away, accompanied by a servant with a car. He eyed his friend's injuries darkly, but just told him to get in the car without going to murder the rest of the Sawada family.

Inside the Hibari mansion, Tsuna got his wounds treated. They were less severe than Ienobu's since neither his twin nor his mother could hit as hard as Kyoya, but he still had ugly bruises, a few cuts, including one under the eyebrow that bled heavily, and a couple bruised ribs. He would be sore for a few days, but it would heal quickly (a side effect of flames, had guessed the children since Hibari also healed the rare cuts and bruises he had much faster since he first awakened them).

Kyoya hadn't said a word since they had arrived and it worried Tsuna. He was considering starting a conversation when the older kid said : "From now on you only go back to that wretched place to get your stuff. The rest of the time, you will live here." His tone was final, and the brunet was more than happy to comply, he wouldn't have dared to ask for such a great offer. But his intuition nagged him and he knew why. He felt compelled to tell his friend.

"I would love that, but my intuition is warning me. To be honest, I think I should go back home when Iemitsu returns. Otherwise, he would come here and force me to stay and live with Mama and Nobu and he wouldn't allow me to see you again. The few times he came home and I tried to tell him they beat me, he didn't believe me and told me to stop lying again and accuse others of things they didn't do. Apparently, Ienobu said I did that often..."

Kyoya was not happy with that, but after some arguing, agreed that it would be bad if Tsuna's father reacted that way. And he had seen first-hand how eerily accurate the Omnivore's intuition was.

He ordered his servants to go take a look every day at the Sawada residence before diner. If the man was home (he always arrived in the morning according to Tsuna, and was loud enough that it was easy to check), Tsuna would return there until Iemitsu left, which should not be too long, seeing his previous records. The staff accepted without batting an eyelash. All those who worked for the Hibari family had a 'shady' background and they all knew how to discreetly wander around an area. They had grown fond of the young boy who befriended their young master and mellowed his uncompromising character.

And things proceeded just as Hibari had planned. Tsuna secretly brought back what little belongings he had to the Hibari mansion and lived there permanently. A servant went each day before dinner to check if Iemitsu came home, which never happened. The two boys spent their days together, either teaching each other in the background (Kyoya had begun learning Italian after mastering English, and was teaching Tsuna advanced techniques, though he still considered them to be basics. They practiced their flames together despite Tsuna's higher ability and Kyoya was thrilled to discover he could coat his tonfas in flames to increase their potency, though it damages the weapons in the long run), patrolling together (Tsuna could now wipe the floor with common thugs almost as easily as Kyoya) or hanging out around town.

The holidays came to an end and they returned to school. Hibari made it a point to come pick up his friend every day and to bite any bully to death, since Tsuna couldn't do it himself without parents, teachers or other kids reacting -it was a well known fact in Namimori that the demon child was above any rebuking or retribution, unless you wanted a tonfa in the face. But since he always waited a bit away from the school to avoid crowding, people thought Dame-Tsuna only knew his patrol routes and led his pursuers to him at the cost of being bitten himself (in short, no-one realized or wanted to believe that the two were friends since it sounded too strange. Can you imagine? Dame-Tsuna and the demon child of Namimori?).

Then came mid-October. The Omnivore was especially fidgety today, and Kyoya could not understand why. He had noticed the looks that he sent his brother and mother when leaving school the previous day. As usual, Ienobu had just glared at him while Nana didn't even notice his presence. After an hour of teaching him an immobilizing technique and seeing that his thoughts were elsewhere, Hibari finally demanded to know what was wrong.

Tsuna was surprised by the question, but answered nonetheless, he kept his eyes on the ground. "Nothing is really wrong, Kyoya-san, I swear. It's just... It's just I was wondering if they would remember about me today..."

"Why especially today?"

"Well... I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to feel forced to celebrate it and I don't know when yours is, but today is..."

"Your birthday." interrupted Kyoya. He had not known about it, but it was obvious with the Omnivore's behavior and beginning of an explanation. He was angry at himself : why had he not asked Tsunayoshi when he was born? Birthdays were important, friends and family were supposed to celebrate it, and the younger boy's family was evidently not going to fulfill its duty. It was even more important for Kyoya to celebrate it then. Hibari's own parents always called and sent presents for his birthday. Really how had he forgotten about that?

He had to correct that mistake. Now. "So your birthday is on October the 14th. Mine is on May the 5th. Come inside, we have to prepare your birthday, however late it is." And he dragged the stunned brunet inside. Tsuna had not expected Hibari to care about birthdays and to actually want to celebrate it.

All the staff hurriedly put together a small party. A strawberry cake was baked and everyone was to wear a yukata (Tsuna had several, since the servants thought he didn't have enough clothes). Kyoya left his friend at home for a couple hours to buy a present. Tsuna had tried to protest that it wasn't important, but realized that the raven was looking for a way to redeem himself for his oversight.

When Hibari came home, everyone was assembled in the largest room of the house (apart the training hall), and were waiting for him to begin the party. After singing and blowing his candles, Tsunayoshi broke down in thanks and admitted that it was the first time since he could remember that people were celebrating _his_ birthday and not just his twin's (Iemitsu had made a party for the both of them when they turned two, but he had no memory of it).

That made Kyoya and his staff even more furious with the other Sawadas, but they hid it for Tsuna's sake. It was _his_ birthday. The servants didn't have any real gifts so they promised to cook whatever the brunet wanted the next day. Tsunayoshi just grinned at them and thanked them again, he was already so grateful, he didn't mind at all that they didn't have anything ready for him.

Then Hibari set a small gift in front of him. The Omnivore looked at him for a moment, trying to guess what it was, before taking the package and observing it. It was a box that fit in his palm, but that was all he could make of it. He slowly unwrapped it, savoring his first birthday gift, and opened the lid.

He pulled out a pair of black leather fingerless gloves with metal reinforcements around the knuckles.

Kyoya began explaining "Those are fighting gloves. Since you always dropped any weapon you held when training" true, Tsuna couldn't seem to keep a steady grip on any weapon Hibari put in his hand. "and you are decent bare-handed," quite the praise coming from him, but Tsuna _was_ pretty good with his fists. He relied on his speed to slip under his opponent's guard and punch hard. "I figured those would be the best weapons for you. But if..."

He was stopped by Tsunayoshi suddenly hugging him. Kyoya stiffened at first, ready to push the other away, before he stilled and relaxed slightly. He usually disliked such shows of affection, but understood that it was the only way his friend had found to thank him. For offering him a home. For protecting him from his bullies and abusing family. For teaching him how to defend himself and for offering him his first gift. A gift that would help keep him safe and that was bought with him in mind.

"I love them, thank you Kyoya." whispered Sawada Tsunayoshi to his friend with tears in his eyes and a wide smile. "Thank you for everything."


	5. That exposed family secrets to the sun

Another Path Part 5 : That exposed family secrets to the sun

 **Thank you for the reviews, favorites and alerts, they really motivate me to write more. In this new chapter, another character is introduced, but probably not one you expected. Yes, might I like to troll a little.**

 **Also, this is _not_ a romance story. I don't have either the writing skills or the experience needed to make a believable one. Sorry.**

 **Disclaimer : I still don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, and probably never will.**

When Tsuna awoke in the Hibari mansion a month after his birthday, his first thoughts were : 'Ah, I finally have to return home for a while'. His intuition was regretfully informing him that Iemitsu would be returning home today.

After getting up and preparing himself for kindergarten, the now 5-year-old met Hibari Kyoya in the dinning room and told him the unfortunate turn of events. The older boy was not pleased to say the least, but sent a servant to stalk the house unseen until the man arrived. You never know, perhaps Tsunayoshi's intuition was dysfunctional. For the first time...

The kids both left for school hoping not to have to part in the afternoon. But the Vongola's famous Hyper Intuition was not wrong.

During lunchtime, Tsuna was studying basic Chinese while eating his bento on the roof (Hibari's staff had started making him one as soon as he unofficially moved in) when Kyoya appeared by his side. The brunet preferred to focus on the fact that the building had four floors and the middle schooler came from over the railing rather than his obviously unhappy and less obviously worried expression.

"The Herbivore has arrived an hour ago. He came with an older Herbivore he introduced as his boss."

That detail caught Tsunayoshi by surprise. The blond always tried his best to hide everything about his real job -Tsuna was convinced he was _not_ a construction worker. Inviting his boss, if the man was truly his boss, at his home was a risky and unexpected move. All the more reason for Tsuna to visit and pretend he never left, unfortunately.

Hibari was thinking along the same line and stayed silent until the bell rang. They parted after Kyoya handed a few spare clothes and belongings for Tsuna to hide in his bag and after the brunet promised to keep him updated and to return once the men left. Tsuna was apprehensive, but being in Hibari's presence all day did wonders for his self-confidence and he knew he could pull the charade off.

When a beaming Nana appeared at the end of school to bring back Ienobu, Tsunayoshi followed as innocuous as possible and discreetly entered the back of the car. He needed to show that their family dynamics were as normal as could be.

Once 'home', their father rushed to hug first his wife and swipe her off her feet, then Ienobu, who screamed in delight, and finally Tsuna, who stayed slightly behind and was hoping for invisibility. Then he pushed them all in the living room to introduce an elderly man in a suit with a cane sitting on the couch.

"Nana, No-kun, Tuna-fishy, this is my boss, Timoteo. Timoteo, this is my cute and adorable family." Iemitsu was evidently ecstatic at the idea of showing his family to his boss.

"Mrs Sawada, Ienobu, Tsunayoshi, it is a pleasure to meet you" replied the old man, eying each of them in turn with a warm smile. It seemed sincere, but Tsuna was instantly wary of the man. He was somehow dangerous. Very dangerous said his intuition. "But please, call me Grandpa. I already consider Iemitsu as a son of sorts."

"Only if you call me 'Nana' Timoteo-san." answered the woman. She was smiling from one ear to the other : her husband was home, her No-kun had finally recovered from his injuries. What could be better?

Nobu politely introduced himself the way he had been taught as Tsuna mumbled a greeting. But nobody minded, and 'Grandpa' just sent him a indulgent smile.

The afternoon passed by fast, dinner was somehow normal, and after eating Tsunayoshi was thankfully allowed by his father to go to his room with a book. It was then that he heard said father and his boss speaking in a low voice alone on the second floor. They sounded like they were plotting something and it caught the brunet's attention through his door.

" _It was lucky that we were there when Nobu first released his flames. Who knew he would awaken them so young. My son truly is a prodigy!_ " stated Iemitsu in Italian of all things. It caught Tsuna's curiosity even more and he leaned against his door to listen. Thank God he had decided to learn Italian. And were they talking about flames? Did they know about his power?

" _It is rare for a Sky flame user to summon them at this age. But he couldn't be left Active, they had to be sealed. Otherwise he would have been quickly located and attacked_." answered the voice of Timoteo (no way was Tsuna going to call him 'Grandpa' when he didn't call Iemitsu 'Papa'). And they _were_ talking about the same flame ability Tsunayoshi had, though he didn't get why it was called 'Sky'. Maybe those flames were blue or something...

" _I know, don't worry. I just hadn't expected it. And Nobu has_ Sky _flames of all things, I was just so happy. When I saw that orange fire I couldn't help feeling proud_." So Sky flames were _orange_ for some reason? Did that mean he had Sky flames too? Maybe Kyoya's flames had an actual name too. But wait, did they say they sealed Ienobu's flames? That meant his twin _had_ the same ability and apparently just manifested it; and said ability could be taken from Tsuna? That last thought was terrifying.

" _I can imagine, but it is too soon. He is too young to control them yet_." Tsuna silently begged to differ. Both he and Kyoya were children, but they definitely had control over their ability. And both would fight to the last before anyone sealed such an important, vital and precious part of them. " _Are you sure your eldest son won't manifest flames too?_ "

" _Tuna-fishy? Not a chance, he is a nice kid, but is nowhere as talented as Nobu in any field. It's impossible for him to awaken his ability so soon when his brother just summoned them. And that's assuming he actually_ has _Sky flames or even other types._ " That hurt the brunet deeply. He knew his father saw him as less talented than Ienobu. But to have so little faith in him? Tsuna had to bite his lips to refrain from bursting the door open and show how beautiful and powerful his flames were to the world. But he couldn't, not unless he wanted to lose them afterwards.

" _I see. I suppose it is for the best. At least one of your sons will stay away from our world at least. While they could be great assets for Vongola_ " Tsunayoshi assumed that was someone's name, because 'clam' wouldn't make sense here. " _like you are, it would be a shame for such innocent children to fall into the Mafia..._ " and Tsuna didn't hear the rest of his sentence. The _Mafia_! His father was in the bloody Mafia! It explained so much, from his long leaves abroad to his secrecy about his actual job! Kyoya had to learn about that and this 'Vongola' person. It was probably the name of the boss he worked for. Hibari would most likely know more thanks to his many connections.

The brunet barely heard the sound of a man with a cane taking the stairs down and another louder one coming towards his door. Quick, he had to hide his shock from his face before he opened the...

"Hey, Tuna-fishy, you're still here? We were about to start a game downstairs, I thought you had already joined." exclaimed the blond. He suddenly grew worried. "Did you hear what Papa and Grandpa were talking about?" he inquired while trying to look as unconcerned as possible.

Tsunayoshi put on his best innocent face and answered. "I heard Papa" God, he hated calling him that, but it would sound less suspicious. "and Grandpa speaking, but you were using weird words and Tsu-kun didn't understand." Aaaaaand he sounded like a two year old just there. How humiliating. It seemed to work on Iemitsu though, and thank goodness it did, because Tsuna wouldn't have been able to bear speaking in such a stupid, _herbivorous_ way (OK, maybe Kyoya was rubbing on him a bit too much, but it seemed appropriate) otherwise. Now for the finishing touch. "What were Papa and Grandpa saying?" A slight, calculated tilt of the head and use of big puppy eyes and sparkles. And a few flowers in the background to be sure.

It worked spectacularly. "Oh, of course, I forgot about that, and my little Tuna-fishy is just soooooo cuuuuuuute!" squealed Iemitsu while crushing the air out of his son's lungs. "Don't worry about it, Papa was just talking about his job. It's nothing as important as my adoooorable two sons..." and the man went on and on for what felt like hours about how cute his family was. Tsunayoshi was trying his best to keep the appearance of a small, shy, easily frightened and harmless child until he was told to go to bed. At long last. He was so tired he fell asleep in seconds despite the thoughts swirling in his mind.

The next day he followed Nana like a shadow when she took care of Ienobu and she didn't notice him at all when he followed them to school. The two men thought it was just his 'usual' shyness that kept him from them and behind his mother, and Nobu just shot him scathing glares when no-one was looking. He knew to behave himself in front of witnessing strangers.

At lunch, he was again joined by Kyoya on the rooftop and told him of his discoveries. The 7-year-old was as shocked as he was and promised to search for any information he could find on Mafia, Vongola, Timoteo or even Sawada Iemitsu, since the man was apparently important enough to be on familiar terms with his superior (Tsuna believed Timoteo was indeed his superior, and Kyoya was willing to trust the brunet's intuition).

()()()()()()

The two men stayed a total of six days in Namimori before leaving. Six whole days of pretending to be a normal if a bit silly 5-year-old, of hiding from his twin in his house, of acting around his mother as if she paid him attention and of enduring the crushing hugs and squeals of his blond sire. Yes, those six days had been hell for Tsunayoshi and he was glad to return to what was now his home. It was coincidently the day Kyoya had told him he would have a report from his parents about the Mafia, Vongola, Timoteo and Iemitsu.

Hibari was waiting for him in his room with large reports neatly stacked in front of him. He looked at the same time dissatisfied and puzzled, which was an odd sight on his usually emotionless face. It was a bad omen according to Tsuna.

"Omnivore" began the boy as soon as the brunet closed the sliding door and took a seat in front of him. "How did you manage to get yourself in such a huge mess?"

He then proceeded to explain to an increasingly shocked Tsunayoshi about a familiar ability used solely in the Mafia and hidden from the public that involved strangely colored flames. He said that Vongola was the world's largest, most powerful and bloodiest Mafia Famiglia, as well as one of the biggest crime syndicates worldwide. He told him Timoteo was commonly known as Vongola Nono, the ninth boss of said group and probably the most influent man alive. That Vongola had a branch known as CEDEF which dealt with internal matters as an outside force. And most frightening point of all, that the head of CEDEF, known as the external advisor, who held as much power as the Vongola boss in times of war or of succession, the Young Lion of Vongola, was a blond man of Japanese descent by the name of Sawada Iemitsu.

By the time Kyoya had finished, Tsuna was as pale as paper, eyes wide open and mouth agape. This wasn't really possible, was it? Not his goofy, oblivious and loud father? Hibari just handed him the folders, many of which contained photos, and waited silently for the Omnivore to course through them.

Late at night, and many hours and cups of tea later, the last report was closed and Tsuna had more or less regained his bearings. It still sounded unreal, but he now had proof that it was all true.

"I can't believe it. All along that goof-ball was... That just makes any attempt to escape my family for good much, much harder."

Kyoya nodded. The same thought had occurred to him. Iemitsu believed that his family was happy and perfect and had demonstrated that nothing, not even hard, cold proof could convince him otherwise. Tsuna had already tried multiple times to explain, but was brushed off. The man wanted the best for his family, but at the same time didn't want his 'ideal family' to be shattered. That also meant he would never allow his eldest to leave and destroy his delusion. If the blond caught wind of his son leaving the house, willingly or not, Tsuna would be tracked and followed until he was dragged home with increased security and surveillance. The Vongola could easily afford and manage it.

"My family has warned me already" started Kyoya, staring holes into the reports. "Any attempt against the Vongola, even if the whole clan leagues together, will be crushed within days. If one wants to go around them, one has to make sure they are not aware of one's plans and of one's acquaintances, or they will destroy you and any possible threat without batting an eye."

Tsuna was about to tell his friend that he would return to the Sawada household definitively to avoid dragging him into this mess and put him in danger when Hibari continued. "That means that if they are not aware of our friendship and of your choice of living place, they will do nothing. You will not return to live to that house unless it is to hide your actual living place and it will only be temporary. I will not let you stupidly sacrifice yourself so I can stay out of this. We are friends, what you are a part of, I am as well, and the other way around. You will continue living here, Mafia threat or not. That is not negotiable Omnivore." He finished with a hint of a smile on his lips.

Once more, Tsuna couldn't believe he had such a great and loyal friend like Kyoya and could only give a huge watery smile back. How could he have lived without friendship before encountering Hibari? He couldn't go back to his life from before now, and he was actually glad about that fact.

And he didn't know it yet, but he would soon meet another child he could call his friend.

()()()()()()

It was Christmas's eve in Namimori and Irie Shoichi was one again running from the men who wanted his brain to work for them. His last creation was a pocket-sized robot that automatically transcribed what it heard on paper. Not so useful for the 5-year old, but he was planning ahead and knew that taking notes would be necessary when he leaves kindergarten and finishes grade school. And he mostly had a sudden idea and followed it on a whim.

But this time, things were looking direr than usual. For starters, his pursuers were more determined to catch him and were more skilled than what he was used to. They obviously memorized the streets of Namimori and Shoichi couldn't lose them in the back alleys. Then, he couldn't call his parents or sister and request them to pick him up and leave his stalkers in the dust.

The Irie family had decided to spend the winter holidays in a theme park. When Shoichi had protested that he wanted to work on his inventions, his relatives went either way and left him alone in Namimori.

Not that the red-hair was surprised. He loved his family, and he knew his family loved him as well. It's just... Well, because Shoichi was so smart and liked to be independent to create better, his relatives saw him almost like an adult and let him do whatever he wanted on his own. They helped him when he requested something, but was left to his own devices otherwise.

He had no idea how his pursuers had found out that he was a genius when it came to creating things. It was a hobby, and he never sold or talked about his inventions. Grown-ups didn't pay any attention to a child's rambling and no kid his age wanted to hear about it. He had a steadily growing reputation as a geek, and was more made fun of than praised. But somehow, while walking back from that spare parts store, he was chased by suspicious individuals screaming that he now had to create weapons for them and ran away as a conditioned reflex. Bullies liked nerdy kids a bit too much...

And this is how he found himself in a back street, surrounded on both sides by shady men -he would bet his arm that they were yakuzas- with the worst stomach-aches he had ever experienced and was praying for a divine intervention.

Said divine intervention took the appearance of a terrifying 7-year-old falling from the nearest building (it was at least 3 stories high for the love of god!) behind the thugs on Shoichi's right and a softly smiling and harmless-looking 5-year old walking towards the yakuzas on his left. The red head thought for a moment that the gods were making fun of him, before he took a good look at the scary child. Never again would he disbelieve the power of the merciful gods.

"For disturbing the peace of Namimori" began the oldest kid who Shoichi now recognized as Hibari Kyoya, the infamous demon child. "I'll bite you all to death." And he proceeded to the beating of the dozen grown men on his side of the street, who didn't stand a chance.

"You know" said the unknown brunet. He still sported a calm smile despite the situation, Shoichi thought he was insane. "You shouldn't have disturbed Kyoya today. We had plans for the day that you just ruined, and he doesn't like to see his plans foiled." So the child was an _acquaintance_ of Hibari Kyoya, maybe even a _friend_ seeing that he called him by his first name. He was madder than he looked!

And then the 'cute and innocent' child, still smiling serenely, threw the two yakuzas closest to him over his head and on the wall where they slowly collapsed, unconscious. The other men met a similar fate and were apparently effortlessly dealt with and knocked out.

In two minutes, all twenty thugs were on the ground. The brunet child went to check on Shoichi while Hibari Kyoya stayed away, glaring at the fallen yakuzas as if daring them to get up and start round two. The fluffy child made sure Shoichi was safe before asking innocently "Hello, there. You seem OK. What exactly were those men after you for? You stole something from them?"

The small insult was enough to reboot the stunned red head who cried out "I didn't steal anything from them! They were the ones who wanted to kidnap me, I didn't ask for anything!"

"Oh, and why did they want to abduct you? Don't take this the wrong way, but you don't look like you'd fetch a good ransom." inquired the child. How could he say that so brazenly? He sure did look like he understood the words he said, but there was no way. He couldn't say that knowingly and keep smiling serenely like that, could he? Then again, he didn't seem completely sane either...

"No, no" stuttered Shoichi. Why was he even replying to such a loon? He should be running for his life! But the glare of Hibari on his back was nailing him on his spot. Better answer promptly then. "I-I'm good at inventing things, and these men wanted me to build weapons for them. I refused and they chased me." The brunet was humming thoughtfully, completely ignoring the bodies at his feet. Shoichi wondered where the nearest drugstore selling pills against stomach-aches was -and if he would be allowed to get there alive.

"My name is Sawada Tsunayoshi by the way, if you're from Namimori, you might have heard of me as 'Dame-Tsuna'." and indeed, Shoichi had heard of the no-good kindergartener. He was infamous for his stupidity and clumsiness among young children. But the weirdo in front of him was way too different from that reputation.

It seems Tsunayoshi could guess what he was thinking. "I know, people love to say I'm useless at school and so I got that reputation. But you seem nice, you can call me 'Tsuna'. And this is Hibari Kyoya, but you obviously already know that if your shaking knees are any indication. If you're chased by yakuzas, they probably won't stop trying to kidnap you so easily." Shoichi shuddered. He had realized that and was desperately looking for a solution. The police wouldn't believe a child like him and he knew no-one who could hide him. "So" he continued. "How about coming with me and Kyoya to celebrate Christmas once you tell us your name and I've managed to convince Kyoya to bring you along?"

Shoichi couldn't say if he was more shocked, scared or tempted by the offer. But after thinking about it for half a second, he understood that he had no other choice. The two crazy children were his best and only chance of evading his pursuers or beating them if they found him. And he desperately needed a safe place and a glass of water with pain killer pills. "My na-name is Irie Shoichi, and it would save my life if you could help me escape. Please protect me." he bowed.

Hibari Kyoya was sending deadly glares to the brunet since he made his offer, but Tsunayoshi just brushed him off with a mysterious 'I get the feeling he will be an interesting person to know, Kyoya', and the demon just huffed and walked out of the street.

"Don't worry" chanted Tsunayoshi. "That means he's OK with you following. So, what do you like inventing?" And he continued chatting along the way. Shoichi was walking without asking where they were headed. But Tsuna's enthusiasm was contagious and he seemed genuinely curious about the red hair's hobby. Shoichi quickly found himself enjoying his time with the brunet and was almost at ease when Hibari got closer to hear their conversation and even exchanged a few words. Who would have thought?

They spent their Christmas's eve walking between the stalls prepared for the occasion, buying some food or things that caught their eye. Shoichi bought a small clock, wishing do disassemble it to study it later. Hibari's mere presence left them with a wide area free of people around them, and the few mobsters that got close were gleefully bitten to death. When they got too tired, Shoichi was offered to sleep over at Hibari's and only yielded when Tsunayoshi explained that he lived there most of the time too. The red-hair was curious as to why, but didn't ask : it seemed to be a sore subject.

These arrangements were kept until the end of the winter holidays and the Irie family returned home (and Kyoya found the base of the yakuzas and made sure they wouldn't be bothering Shoichi after a good, long 'talk'). By then, the three kids had spent a lot of time together and had gotten close. The red head was a quiet child and Kyoya didn't mind his presence. That and he had offered a few ideas to upgrade his tonfas. With spikes and chains. Tsuna did _not_ want to see that.

Shoichi felt like he had made his first friends ('Dame-Tsuna' and the demon of Namimori, how strange). He knew the two still had many secrets : they were evasive about Tsuna's family situation (Shoichi knew of Ienobu's existence and wondered why he hadn't seen him during his stay), the things they did when they barricaded themselves in the training room (Shoichi was left alone to work on his inventions for a couple hours each day) or even what their parents did for a living. The red-hair wanted to know more about those two. He wanted to keep spending his days with both odd children and be into their secrets.

When he expressed his wish, Hibari and Tsuna (he had insisted to being called that and had more success than with the raven head) exchanged a look. The brunet tilted his head slightly and the raven nodded. It seemed to Shoichi that they agreed and he was deemed worthy of their trust and secrets. It made him happy.

"Well" started Tsuna, pulling Shoichi from his reverie. "I guess you should know about everything. So you can decide if we truly become friends after that."

And he then exposed the most unbelievable story to a fascinated child. He told things from the beginning, about his mother's neglect and his brother's abuse, about his eerily accurate intuition and how it saved him multiple times. He explained how he discovered his ability and made a demonstration of his orange flame. The inventor in Shoichi wanted to know more, but he controlled himself. Tsuna continued with his meeting with Kyoya (and with Hibird who was chirping in the raven's hair) and how they became friends.

At this point, Hibari took the lead and briefly explained his situation : how much he could do with his purple flame, why he patrolled the town, and his parent's job. Shoichi paled, but didn't say a word or make a move to leave. He was now familiar enough with the raven to not let that last piece of information cloud his judgment.

When Kyoya finished his part and Shoichi didn't really react negatively (run away screaming his head off), Tsuna continued from where he left : how and why he came to live in the Hibari mansion, his deal with Hibari to only return to the Sawada house while Iemitsu was in Namimori. He then exposed the time the man came home and the conversation with his boss that he overheard. He finished with Kyoya's reports.

That shocked Shoichi much more. To link Hibari Kyoya with the Underworld was one thing. To imagine kind and selfless Tsuna -despite the fighting skills he had seen first-hand- in the Mafia was another. The brunet quickly assured the panicking kid that he had no interest in becoming a Mafioso and that he wasn't even supposed to know about Iemitsu's real job. This calmed the red-hair down. Both boys were still the same crazies as the ones he met a week ago.

Tsunayoshi and Kyoya let him think about those revelations for long minutes. The decision Shoichi had to take was an important one. Would he still 'officially' become friends with them now that he knew their family circumstances and secrets?

Kyoya's family wasn't really a problem. They wouldn't bother the red-head unless he bothered them first. And if he was attacked due to his ties with the Hibari clan and Kyoya wasn't enough to save him, the rest of his family would help. That was the way they worked : solitary unless needed as a pack.

The actual issue was Tsuna's ties with the Mafia. And not just any Famiglia either, the most powerful one. Vongola didn't know that the brunet was aware of these relations, and would most likely eliminate any threat to them and their secrecy if they found out about the kids. That meant Kyoya, and Shoichi if he decided to stay in this and help shelter Tsunayoshi from his family. Also, Tsuna had no-one to rely on in the Mafia in case of a problem.

Shoichi drew a deep breath and nodded to himself. The 5-year-old had made his mind.

"I can't deny this is a lot to accept at once, but thank you for the trust you have in me. If I'm not a bother, I'd still like for us three to be friends. I'll keep your secrets and help you with what I can." He said, voice low and was barely heard, but his tone showed his determination. He had acknowledged the risks and still wished to stay.

Tsuna's face lit up like a Christmas tree and he jumped over the table to hug his new friend. Kyoya was much less demonstrative, but still nodded in agreement, a small smile playing on his lips.

Once the red-head managed to free himself from the surprisingly strong grip of a certain brunet, he replaced his glasses and finally let his inner inventor out. "So, can I know more about these flames?"

 **I'll just ask the same question as last chapter, but this time at the end, so hopefully you will remember it if you leave a review (not that I blame any of you, I'm just the same, if not even more forgetful).**

 **Could anyone give me some ideas for box-animals/pets for the following characters : Shoichi, I-pin, Fuuta, Spanner, Fran, Kyoko, Haru, Hana and Chrome (who definitely won't have the owl because it suits Mukuro so much better)?**

 **I already have some ideas, but am not completely satisfied with them. The box-animals won't appear until much later, but I like to plan ahead and this is one detail I have yet to figure out. Thank you again and hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	6. That tightened bonds

Another Path Part 6 : That tightened bonds

 **Here's this week's chapter. A big thank you to all those who reviewed and gave ideas for the box animals. Some of your suggestions were very well thought and helped me decide what to give who. Really, you guys are the best. A special thank you to ShinDragonX for his inspired PM which looked like it had taken him/her a lot of time and research.**

 **Disclaimer : I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.**

Days turned into months which turned into years. Tsuna and Shoichi were now 9 and Kyoya was 11. They pretty much lived together at that point in the Hibari mansion. Some things had remained the same during all that time, while others had evolved in odd ways.

One of those changes were the creation of the Discipline Committee, also known as Kyoya's private army by Tsuna and Shoichi. It started with a simple patrol and encounter. Hibari was making his usual rounds around town -with Tsuna in tow- when he stumbled across a bunch of teenage delinquents ganging upon a single younger child. Not that the child didn't look like a delinquent : he had rough traits and a most curious pompadour hairdo. Anyway, Kyoya quickly dispatched the older ones (read : hit as hard as possible until they lost consciousness) and turned to the younger one. He was about to bite him to death for crowding when the Herbivore suddenly knelt on the ground.

"Hibari-sama, please let me be your subordinate!" he yelled in a military manner, a respectful glint in his eyes. Kyoya was stunned and forgot about the bitting to death and Tsuna was just as shocked. He, however, recovered faster and burst out in laughter. You didn't see such a reaction every day to say the least! Hibari finally managed to snap out of his daze and asked the weird Herbivore (he hadn't hit him yet, so why was he already delirious?) "What are you talking about Herbivore?"

"I know that Hibari-sama is always patrolling and protecting Namimori. I would like to put my meager abilities to use and help as much as I can. So please, Hibari-sama, take me as your subordinate." he pleaded. Tsuna was roaring with laughter in the back and Kyoya shot him a scathing glare. He was also thinking. He was alone in protecting Namimori (the Omnivore had already expressly announced that he wasn't very interested in that job and only followed him to practice his moves. And Kyoya wasn't too keen on letting him wander alone and risk encountering his bastard Herbivore of a brother). Having others that could go on different patrols and cover more ground could be useful. He knew even his mother used subordinates to investigate and capture criminals.

"I guess you could be useful, Herbivore. From now on you will work under me and protect the peace of Namimori. Come with me to discuss how you will help. And stop calling me 'Hibari-sama', that's my father's name." He turned around and left in the direction of his house. The pompadour-boy quickly stood up and followed, he looked strangely happy under his serious face. Tsuna was bewildered by this turn of events, but promptly caught up with the new subordinate, plastering a smile on his face, he began.

"Hi, I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi, Kyoya's friend and I'm 8. Call me Tsuna. I think you can call him Kyoya-san or even Kyo-san for it to be shorter (and to make it sound more like a gang). He doesn't like being called 'sama'. So, by the way, what's your name?"

The boy was surprised by the bubbly brunet, but his new employer just slightly turned his head towards him and nodded sharply. It seemed the smiling boy's story was true. And he _had_ seen him trail behind Kyo-san too often for it to be a coincidence (the nickname had already been adopted). "My name is Kusakabe Tetsuya, you can call me Tetsuya. I'm 11 years old. It is nice to meet you, Tsunayoshi-san." He bowed.

"No need to be so formal, I told you to call me Tsuna, and stop bowing. So, what made you want to be Kyoya's subordinate?"

And Tetsuya wove the story of how he was inspired by the demon of Namimori when he saved his neighbors from yakuzas. He then started observing Hibari when he encountered him in the middle of bitting unlawful Herbivores to death. He asked himself what he could do to help -he held no illusions of ever fighting as well as Kyoya. He taught himself how to dispose of unconscious bodies and to treat most injuries. He was adamant about being of use, and Hibari saving him today was just the last push he needed to offer his services.

Tsuna had no idea how to react and just nodded. Tetsuya's list of abilities could definitely be useful to Kyoya, and the raven seemed to have accepted the offer.

When they all reached the mansion, Tsuna briefly filled in Shoichi who was tinkering with a new invention, while Kyoya and Tetsuya worked on their new arrangement. Kusakabe would deal with the aftermath of his boss' carnage, while Hibari would continue as always.

A few days later, after assessing the efficiency of their collaboration, Shoichi jokingly said that Kyoya should start a group to 'keep the peace of Namimori'. He didn't think the raven would do it, judging by his distaste of crowding. But the gleam in Hibari's gray eyes made him shudder. From then on, Kyoya and Tetsuya proceeded to hire (not that they were paid, but it was a full time work) any delinquent that crossed their path and didn't want to be bitten to death. A few tried to abuse their new-found position, but Hibari was merciless and such ideas were quickly extinguished. Discipline was the most important quality in the new 'peace-keeping' group; as such, the group was officially named the Discipline Committee and even managed to force Namimori Middle to recognize them as a club and give them funds and an office. Kyoya was really proud -not that anyone but Tsuna, Shoichi and Kusakabe, his newly proclaimed right-hand man, could tell.

Tsunayoshi and Shoichi were not exactly on very good terms with most of the Discipline Committee members : most of them were ex-bullies and the two children had a history. Tetsuya was OK, he was earnest and didn't bother those weaker than him, but they never became very close, he was first of all Kyoya's lieutenant. However, Hibari had introduced his two friends and added that anyone bothering them had to be thoroughly bitten to death (he didn't directly mention Ienobu's abuse, but fully expected them to stop him on sight. The blond kept harming his twin at school, since Tsunayoshi couldn't avoid him there). As such, Tsuna was mostly spared Ienobu's attacks, but whenever the blond found an opening, he was even more vicious.

Another change was brought directly by Shoichi's addition in their circle of friends. The red-hair had somehow managed to summon yellow flames after three months of meditation. Kyoya's reports explained that they were called 'Sun flames', but didn't tell more about that. The raven found out that his flames were 'Cloud' ones and the Omnivore's were indeed 'Sky flames', but any other information was heavily guarded and he couldn't explain his curiosity to his relatives who could help without exposing Tsunayoshi's secrets. As such, they only knew the flame's names according to their color.

Anyway, Shoichi had wanted to study this ability, but needed funds to do what he wanted. Kyoya had offered to lend some money (what he had access to), especially after hearing that it could improve their flame's offensive abilities. However, the red-head was reluctant to take money from his friends without a way to pay them back. He suggested to Tsuna that they could invest Hibari's loan and pay him back when they earned enough; he could use the school's facilities at first and wait until they had enough money to start the more expensive experiments. Tsuna accepted and followed his intuition to select which companies to invest in. They quickly earned a small fortune, repaid Kyoya, and Shoichi would have enough to continue his study when he would need to.

So now, Namimori middle was way too well furnished in scientific material for a school, and the main lab was more often than not occupied by a small red-hair cackling like a mad scientist (Kyoya had 'negotiated' with the principal). Rumors were running all around town about the haunted laboratory on the third floor of the local middle school and how the ghost of a child would drag you in and knock you out with incantations. Tsuna and Kyoya had a good laugh -or an amused smirk; which is the equivalent of mad laughter for a Hibari- the first time their friend's scientific rambling drove someone to unconsciousness, but made it a point to avoid Shoichi when he went into 'study-mode'.

From the time Tsuna was 5 to when he became 9, Iemitsu hadn't visited once, and Tsuna didn't sleep in the Sawada house at all. He wondered if his mother thought about him even once since he left to live with Kyoya. He knew that Ienobu thought about him often. In fact, he was almost obsessed with Tsunayoshi. He learned the patrol routes of the DC and spied on his twin's actions to jump him with his friends when he was alone. Tsuna always kept Hibari from getting revenge : the first time he did, Nana caught her eldest at the exit of school, dragged him to her house (nobody protested and Kyoya had his hands tied. She was the Omnivore's mother and the raven couldn't draw the father's -Mafia's- attention) and beat him with Nobu's help. The small brunet concluded that it was better to avoid his twin as much as possible.

But Ienobu kept attacking him at whatever opportunity. He sent his goons (Shoichi's way of calling his friends) after the brunet during breaks and lunchtime. Shoichi was quickly recognized as Tsuna's friend and saw an increase of bullying until Tsuna snapped at seeing his friend attacked. He demonstrated the effects of Kyoya's training and sent the offenders to the hospital. The teachers heavily punished him, since they were in Ienobu's pocket, but Tsunayoshi didn't regret it. He was used to bullies, but wouldn't allow any of his friends to suffer from it (though Hibari was safe to be honest). Nobu and his friends understood quickly (after a few retaliations) and focused solely on Tsuna. Shoichi was still mocked and made fun of for his acquaintances, but wasn't physically attacked anymore.

Tsuna was starting to seriously strain under Ienobu's constant 'attention'. He was only ever completely hidden from his twin's eyes in the Hibari mansion. Nobu was watching his every movement when he was in the streets through his goons' eyes (the blond had a certain charisma, hence his many followers, because the term of 'friends' wasn't adapted) and he was spying on him at school (first in kindergarten, now in grade school) personally. The very moment that Tsuna found himself alone, that is to say with no DC member, he was sure to be attacked. And Ienobu was downright cruel in his assaults.

Today was one such days. Kyoya and most of his Committee were away from the school due to a yakuza attack in the outer Namimori during lunch, and Ienobu had seized the opportunity. All of his older and/or delinquent minions had been called and Tsuna was currently running from 30 kids ranging from 9 (like himself) to 15. He could have easily taken care of them, but he was still inside the school building and the teachers were watching, ready to intervene to punish the brunet for fighting and thus keep him longer at school (where he was an easy target). However, Ienobu and his goons' chasing and bullying was considered a rough kind of playing : something to correct the bad tendencies of Dame-Tsuna,the clumsy, stupid, useless child with a history of cheating.

Tsuna had been performing rather well so far : his intuition was guiding him through the corridors, away from his pursuers. But right now, he was cornered. The halls on his left and right were filled with bullies, and his only escape was the emergency staircase. His intuition was screaming that it was a bad idea, but it was his only solution.

He opened the door and ran down the stairs. He was on the fifth floor and had to go to the ground to escape since the emergency doors only opened from the inside. Tsuna had just reached the fourth level when he felt hands on his back.

He was pushed over the railing, from the fourth floor and towards the cold, hard concrete. From the corner of his eye, he briefly caught the sight of his brother, arms outstretched in his direction, in a pushing motion.

A deviant smirk plastered on his face and an evil light deep in his eyes.

Tsuna was shocked. Really, truly shocked. He knew Ienobu was obsessed with harming him, that he wanted him to be hurt and miserable, to be alone. But that was on a whole other level : his own twin brother was trying to murder him! He wanted him dead!

But Tsuna didn't have the time to be thinking about this. He was free-falling and had nothing to stop or even slow his descent.

His body moved on reflex before he even realized it. Thankfully, no one was there to see him since his bullies were busy running down the stairs and Ienobu was slipping away unnoticed through the door he had kept ajar with his foot.

Tsunayoshi invoked his so-called 'Sky flames' (he really wanted to know why and who named them that) and called them out through his palms faced with the ground. He pushed as much of his flames out as he could to oppose gravity.

He hit the ground. Hard. He felt some of his bones break upon impact and pain beyond anything he ever felt before -and god knows he knew about pain.

The corner of his vision went darker and darker until his whole sight was pitch black.

Unconsciousness caught him right after he heard the familiar and worried cries of a certain red-head.

()()()()()()

He woke up in a white room. Too clean to belong to someone. _A hospital room_ whispered his intuition, more strongly than he was used to. Weird. He'll have to think about that later. Once everything stopped hurting so much.

"Tsuna!" shouted a voice. It took a few seconds for the brunet to realize it came from his right side and to turn his head slowly.

A crying red-head and an anxious raven. Tsuna's hazy brain needed a couple seconds to put names on their faces. "Shoichi, Kyoya..." he whispered, to tired and hurt to speak clearly. But the two boys heard him and their worry clearly eased.

"Tsunayoshi" began Hibari in an uncharacteristically kind voice. "How are you feeling? Do you remember what happened?"

The 9-year old brunet softly shook his head. It hurt, but he needed to reassure them. "I feel like crap, but I don't think it's anything permanent. I'll heal." His intuition agreed with him. Again, he noted that it never reacted so much before, it was like it had gotten even stronger. "I" he hesitated, feeling that telling the truth bluntly to Kyoya would have consequences. He needed to carefully explain what happened. "I remember what happened, yes. What did they tell you?" Better to know how much of the incident was discovered.

"We were told you slipped on the emergency stairs while running. The teacher" and there was a surprising amount of spite in Shoichi's tone. "Said that you were trying to escape from school to not go to the afternoon classes. That you took the emergency exit against the rules and that you fell over the railing due to you own clumsiness. Not that any of us actually believe that nonsense. So" There wasn't even a hint of distrust in his voice, which warmed Tsuna's heart. "What really happened?"

Tsunayoshi took a deep breath. He needed to make sure of a few things before revealing the truth. "I'll tell you, but first of all, I need you to both promise me you won't take any irrational actions. That really won't help any of us." he looked them both in the eyes. It took some time, but they eventually swore not to be reckless (Shoichi) or nodded their agreement (Kyoya).

"Well" began Tsuna. He knew this wouldn't go well, but couldn't hide such a major turn of event. Not from his friends. "Ienobu sent his goons after me during lunch break." he saw their shoulders stiffen and could only pray they would keep their promise. "They managed to corner me and I had no choice but to escape through the emergency staircase outside. I was at the fifth floor and Nobu was waiting on the fourth." He trailed off. It was still so hard to believe that his twin wanted him dead...

"Did you try to avoid him and tripped?" helpfully supplied the red-head. But for some reason, Tsuna wouldn't meet their gaze. Kyoya had a sudden realization and growled.

"Don't tell me, Tsunayoshi, that the bastard Herbivore _pushed_ you over the railing?" Tsuna could only avoid their eyes and pitifully nodded. He was on the verge of crying. His own brother had tried to murder him... "I'm going to kill him." announced Hibari in a dark voice, already making for the door. Tsuna snapped his head up (which hurt like hell, but he had to do it).

"No, Kyoya, you can't!" he pleaded with as much strength as he could muster. "You promised. It would only make the Mafia notice us all, and then, they'll kill you too for murdering him, and they'll find Shoichi too, and they'll kill him, and I'll be left alone, and you'll all be dead, and Mama would beat me, and Nobu will have that evil smile again, and... and..." he was crying hysterically, losing what little sense he had managed to regain since he woke up. The mere thought of losing his friends sending him in a frenzy on his hospital bed. "You can't, you can't" he repeated between sobs. "You can't..."

It calmed Hibari down quite efficiently. Despite all the abuse he endured daily, the Omnivore was very strong inside, and he must have been truly shocked by the murder attempt to break down so completely in front of them. Shoichi closed in on the hyperventilating brunet and attempted to soothe him by rubbing whatever area wasn't in a cast (which meant his forehead and right shoulder), while Kyoya went to sit on his left, silently showing that he wouldn't chase and assassinate Ienobu. Not now, at least.

After an hour of crying his heart out and blubbering incoherent words, Tsunayoshi calmed down. He managed to give his friends a small, grateful smile for their presence and worry, before the pain that he didn't feel during his panic attack came back with a vengeance.

"So" Tsuna tried to distract his friends from the assassination plans they were obviously formulating and himself from the suffering. "Exactly how bad are my injuries?"

According to the doctors, he had most bones of both lower legs broken, his left arm was in pieces since he fell directly on it, many ribs were fractured, a trauma on his head and multiple smaller but still worrying injuries all over his body. He was lucky that he had survived such a fall and that his internal damage was strangely limited to his bones and not to his organs. Doctors predicted he would spend almost a year recovering and many month in rehabilitation.

But Kyoya and Shoichi knew that with the healing power provided by their flames, the brunet would most likely be up in a month, and would be completely back to normal in two. They had somehow managed to prevent the hospital and the school from calling Tsuna's parents (the hospital was a hassle, but the school was way too easy to convince. In a way, it was infuriating how little they cared about Tsunayoshi). Hibari pulled some strings again and he obtained that the Omnivore would be spending his healing time in the raven's house, so as to hide his abnormal recovery time.

Once every test and observation time was over and nothing new was discovered, Tsuna was moved to the Hibari mansion. The staff was fussing around him and always checking on his health and well-being. Shoichi went much less often to do experiments in Namimori middle and Kyoya delegated many of his own patrols to his more than willing Committee. They respectively claimed it was because they had no experiment that required big facilities and that their men needed to be able to handle any patrol thrown at them, but Tsuna knew they stayed at home because they were concerned about him and wanted to remain close. He didn't call them on their lies, but felt immensely grateful nonetheless.

The boys' predictions turned out to be correct, and by the end of the second month (which meant it was now the end of June, Kyoya had celebrated his 12th birthday) Tsuna was up and about, almost the same as he'd been before the incident except for the mental and physical scars he had added to his already wide collection.

He had tried to hide how upset he was after his first break-down in the hospital, but both Hibari and Shoichi knew him better than that.

The red-head had read somewhere that the best way to cure emotional traumas was to talk about it before the mental injury festered. So the boys kept gently pushing Tsuna to speak of the details of the incident. It took some time, but eventually, the brunet managed to talk about the chase, about the stairs and about his brother pushing him. The Cloud and the Sun had sensed that there was something more and kept insisting for Tsunayoshi to talk about it.

When Tsuna finally talked about the evil, disturbed smile and manic glint that appeared on his twin's face after he had almost murdered him, the face that still haunted his nightmares, both boys could feel a surge of absolute hate well inside of them. They knew they couldn't harm that bastard without Tsuna having to pay for it and their lives targeted, but at that exact moment, had Ienobu been in front of them, they would have gladly snapped his neck.

Tsunayoshi had expected that reaction and kept reminding them not to act rashly. Ienobu had the backing of the most powerful Mafia Famiglia, whether he knew it or not. Shoichi and Kyoya were completely outclassed.

Anyway, the brunet felt so much better after exposing his whole story, and th other two boys were relieved that their friend had let go of that secret, and glad that he had enough trust in them to share his nightmares. To make Tsuna more at ease, Shoichi explained that he feared dogs since he was attacked by an especially vicious chihuahua. Kyoya reluctantly admitted that he disliked crowding since he once got lost in a crowd at age three and it took his mother two hours to locate him -after he began punching all those who got close in an effort to clear the place (Tsuna and Shoichi held back a smile). Tsuna had revealed his deepest fear, it was only normal they did the same.

They all felt that their bond had gotten stronger, strong enough to tell each other everything, from public knowledge to intimate fears. The three kids spent the rest of the day sharing small stories and anecdotes about their lives and fell asleep next to each other with a bright smile on their faces.

()()()()()()

Four days later, the three children were walking around Namimori. A new science-fiction movie had came out that day, and Shoichi had really wanted to see it. But he was too shy to go on his own and asked Tsuna and Kyoya to come. The brunet cheerfully agreed, and the raven yielded under the pleading puppy-eyes of his two friends (Shoichi was doing a decent job, but the true champion of the begging stare was Tsuna : you could see sparkles and blooming flowers behind him if he pulled out the big guns).

They had just left the cinema and were arguing about the movie. Shoichi had really enjoyed the general universe, but had found too many flaw in the scenario and laughed at the 'pseudo-scientific babbling' as he called it. Kyoya had loved the action scenes and was eager to try and see if some of the moves were feasible in the real world. However, he had found the emotional scenes and technical explanations boring. Tsuna was more lenient and just enjoyed the movie as a whole, especially since he saw it with his friends.

They were discussing a particular plothole when Tsuna froze, eyes glazed. Kyoya and Shoichi looked at him and then glanced around. They had been around Tsunayoshi long enough to notice when his intuition was acting up.

On the other side of the street, stood an obviously shocked and upset blond with his friends.

Ienobu was staring at Tsunayoshi like he had seen a ghost. He looked genuinely stunned that his twin was walking around. Worse, he seemed shocked to actually see his brother _alive_.

Then, after his initial disbelief, a frown of pure hatred appeared on his face. Kyoya went and stood in front of the brunet to shield him from the deadly glare while Shoichi squeezed Tsuna's hand. They would protect him from anything the blond would throw his way.

No-one moved for what seemed like days. Ienobu's eyes were glued on his twin behind Kyoya's back. His friends and goons were either looking at their boss with questions in their eyes, or sending disgusted stares at Tsunayoshi and frightened looks at the demon of Namimori. The raven-head was standing protectively in front of his first friend and was glaring along with Shoichi at the blond. Tsuna was staring unseeingly in front of him, like he couldn't bear to see Nobu's spite.

The stalemate was suddenly broken when Ienobu's face shifted. His brows relaxed and a cruel smile appeared. For half a second, the blond looked absolutely evil. He leered at his twin and his eyes made a promise.

' _I will get you next time_ '.

And he simply turned around and left in the opposite way. His friends followed after him immediately.

The three remaining kids released their breath. The tension had finally left and they all felt drained of all their energy. That, and they had all been able to read the threat and promise.

Something had to be done to keep Tsuna definitively safe from Ienobu.


	7. That pondered on escape routes

Another Path Part 7 : That pondered on escape routes

 **Hi, sorry, this came out a little late. Problems with real life and updating slipped out of my mind until now.**

 **I know you've read this before (and will probably continue seeing this on most fanfictions), but thank you again to all those who read, followed, favorite-d and especially reviewed this story. Every message, from a simple smiley to a text explaining precisely what they would like to do to Ienobu makes me so incredibly happy (although it's hard to explain to my family why messages that want one of my characters to 'die in a ditch' make me smile like a loon for hours without sounding like an insane psychopath). It also really helps to encourage me to write more.**

 **Disclaimer : I can safely assume that I will never own KHR. And it makes me sad.**

Kyoya, Shoichi and Tsuna spent the next days of their summer vacation brainstorming about ways to protect the brunet from his twin on the long term. For now, he would remain in the Hibari household and only leave when escorted by _both_ his friends -Kyoya could fight any threat and Shoichi would remain right next to Tsuna and check for any other danger. But that arrangement wouldn't hold once school started again.

Hibari had suggested that Tsunayoshi could stay and be home-schooled, but the idea was quickly abandoned. The school and Ienobu would alert the Sawada parents and things would degenerate from there. And while Tsuna didn't mind lowering his head in front of bullies and teachers, he categorically refused to spend the rest of his life in hiding, cowering from Ienobu.

There really was only one solution. Tsuna had to leave Namimori. But there were many issues with that as well. Sawada Iemitsu genuinely cared for Tsuna in his own way and would use whatever means at his disposition to bring him back -the brunet's will hardly mattered since no-one would believe his side of the story. Unfortunately for the three children, Iemitsu had access to too many resources to escape him easily. Not to forget that if the Mafia caught them, Tsuna would be stuck with his abusive family under heavy surveillance, and who knows what would befall Kyoya and Shoichi for helping in his escape...

So Tsuna had to disappear with no lead to track him, even for the most powerful and influent crime syndicate. Piece of cake...

At this point in the conversation, both of Tsunayoshi's friends felt the need to make something clear : they would not leave the brunet on his own. Whether it was in planning his escape or him leaving the country.

"But you can't!" countered Tsuna. "You have family or duties in Namimori! You can't just let everything go to help me. It's your lives that we're talking about!"

"Tsunayoshi" calmly retorted Kyoya. He had expected the reaction, but wouldn't yield. "It is _our_ decision to follow you and make sure you are safe. And the Discipline Committee is now competent enough that I can leave Kusakabe to lead for me and keep the peace of Namimori."

"And" added Shoichi just as serenely. "Even if you were to go on your own, that 'Vongola' would definitely hear of our friendship and guess we know something. We would be in danger anyway. I can just tell my family I am leaving for my studies and they won't question me. Might as well stay with you and keep having fun together." he smiled. Anything Tsuna could have said was stuck in his throat : they were right, and he was honestly overjoyed that they were willing to stay with him. He could only direct them a tearful and grateful smile and keep on working on their plan.

Now that it was decided that they would all run away together, they had to settle the detail. First of all : where to escape to?

Japan was quickly dismissed. It was too obvious and the first place Iemitsu would look at, especially since no-one had any idea that Tsuna and his friends could speak other tongues. The brunet was actually fluent in Japanese, English, Italian, Chinese and French by now, and knew basic German and Russian as well as bits of many other languages. Kyoya had mastered Japanese, English and Italian, and had a good understanding of Chinese thanks to his family (his mother was of Chinese descent). Shoichi had started learning languages with Tsunayoshi much later than Hibari, but was by far the smartest of the group (though he didn't pick up languages as easily as Tsuna) and was proficient with Japanese, English, Italian and Chinese. He had just started learning French with the brunet.

It would be easier to fit in a country whose language they knew, at least a little. That left all the English-speaking countries, Italy and China. All the teachers knew of Shoichi and Kyoya's perfect scores in English, and if they disappeared at the same time as Tsuna, it will easily be deduced that they left together. So English-speaking countries were out as well.

So China or Italy.

"How about Italy" started Shoichi. Kyoya was looking at him like he was crazy.

"Italy is the home-country of Mafia and Vongola. They will find us in no time." he said slowly, as if explaining something evident to a child (which he was, but none of them could be treated as such).

"Not necessarily." continued the inventor. The three were truly a great team and completed each other well. Shoichi was the tactician, he elaborated plans. Kyoya was the one with the most battle experience, he also had many connection and was familiar with the criminal world and its ruthlessness. Tsuna was the decision-maker, he ended up decided if plans were to be put into action and was the one who held the group together despite their opposing personalities. "They would never expect us to hide right under their nose. In a way, it's the safest place of all."

Shoichi and Kyoya turned to Tsunayoshi. It was his escape they were planning, it was his decision to make. And his intuition had always led them on the right path so far. They would follow his choice.

The brunet pondered his decision for a moment. It was a capital one, not so much for his own safety, but for his friends'. But his intuition -which had inexplicably grown stronger after his fall- hummed affirmatively. "I think this could work. We all have a good grip on Italian, so we should blend in smoothly, despite our young age and obvious Asian features. And no better place to hide than right under the nose of the Mafia. Now, we have to see the details."

And that's what they did. Kyoya offered to have his mother make them fake passports saying they were older than they really were. Not by much, since it needed to be realistic (and all three were rather small for their age, even Kyoya at 11, but no-one dared say that to his face). However, Mrs Hibari would not do anymore, and would not accompany them : she trusted her son -and his friends since he had chosen them- to handle themselves.

Then, they had to figure out how to leave Namimori unnoticed. And how to not leave any trace to track them. Shoichi said that he could further his computer and hacking skills. That way, he could erase any unwanted data so that Vongola and Iemitsu would not find too much to follow.

Tsuna's job was to find and organize where and how they would live in Italy. They had funds thanks to the investing the brunet did and continued doing, but they all knew better than relying on their account money for the long term. Naples was decided as their destination since it was a big enough city that they could blend in, but not too international for hiding.

The biggest issue was how they would make a living. They were evidently too young to go job hunting. No honest employer would hire three kids with no adult backing. The only solution was to start their own company.

The three of them all had multiple skills, but none of those abilities were common to all of them, apart from flames, but that had to remain a secret. Tsuna was amazing with languages, had a knack for teaching and had decent fighting skills (well, 'decent' according to Kyoya, which meant that he could beat almost anyone to the ground); Shoichi was a genius inventor, was especially talented in science and computer science; Kyoya was an exceptional fighter, truly a genius in that field, and had surprising leading abilities and an innate talent in reforming delinquents -to create a private army devoted to him, but details, details...

As such, it was almost impossible to create a specialized company. The obvious solution was to build a 'jack-of-all-trades' business. Of course, it would be hard to create and promote a company that was ran by three kids, but Tsuna was certain that with their skills and abilities, it would only be a matter of time until business was thriving.

The three friends were now tired and had already sorted out a number of things. It had been a tiring day, and they all decided it was time to go to sleep.

()()()()()()

The next three months followed the same pattern of escorting Tsunayoshi as much as possible and him not returning to school with the excuse that he had to recover from the heavy injuries of his fall. It went smoothly and it was now the end of September.

Lately, Tsuna always took whatever occasion he had to take a breath of fresh hair outside. It's not that he was ungrateful to his friends' body-guarding, he just felt stifled staying inside the Hibari mansion for so long without leaving.

So today, a sunny Saturday morning, Shoichi and Tsunayoshi were trailing a few steps behind Kyoya during one of the boy's patrols. The red-hair was almost glued to the brunet's side and the raven made sure to keep them both in his sights as often as possible. It was nice, if not a bit overbearing.

Shoichi was babbling about his progress in hacking when Hibari spotted a group of grade schoolers surrounding another kid and giving him light kicks. Kyoya rushed to bite the unlawful Herbivores to death while the other two stood behind by the side of the road (Tsuna had been expressly forbidden from entering any fray for his safety).

Tsuna was feeling that something was amiss -really, how did his intuition pick such things up?- and observed the delinquents who didn't actually seem to hit as hard as they could. They were all somehow familiar... Even the 'beaten' child's face rang a bell and didn't portray as much fear and hurt as it should... It took a minute for Tsunayoshi to remember where he had seen them.

Both the 'delinquents' and the 'victim' were goons of Ienobu.

At the exact moment he came to that realization, he was pushed onto the road and in front of a speeding truck. He had been so engrossed in figuring out what was wrong with the bullying scene that he didn't notice his intuition warning him about the figure exiting from a dark alley on his side and pushing him on the road.

Funny as time seemed to flow slowly when you're about to die -and seeing the speed of the truck, Tsuna was definitely going to die. Oh, he hadn't seen the face of his assassin, but he had no doubt about his identity. From what he could guess, Ienobu had schemed to kill his brother : he had made his friends stage an aggression to keep Kyoya -the biggest threat- busy, and he was hiding in a deserted, dark street, ready to push his twin in the path of the first vehicle to come. It was just his luck that said vehicle was a huge truck.

Despite his impending end, Tsuna felt strangely calm. Eerily so, to be honest. He should be panicking, trying his hardest to avoid the truck's front as he was falling in slow-motion. But he knew it was futile to attempt to escape, he didn't have enough time. So he used whatever little time available to assess his situation and read Ienobu's plot. He had obviously put a lot of time and thinking in this murder.

It was saddening to see. This was different from the first time : Nobu pushing him over the railing was an impulsive act, not that he hadn't wanted to kill his brunet brother, but he hadn't planned it and just seized the opportunity.

But this time, Ienobu had prepared meticulously his murder. He planned a way to distract any threat, and was _making_ the opportunity happen. And despite all that, Tsuna felt sorry for him and not angry. How awful it must be to hate someone so very much that you were willing to spend time and thoughts, to hire your friends to make sure said individual was killed?

The truck would now collide with him any moment. Tsuna wonderer whether he should close his eyes or not. Would it actually make any difference? Might as well close them, then. To make sure he didn't catch Kyoya's or Shoichi's shocked stares. He could already feel them on him, no need to see them as well.

And suddenly, he felt another person pushing him out of the way. They both fell painfully on the opposite sidewalk.

Opening his eyes to see who his savior was, Tsuna was met with red hair and displaced glasses. Surprised amber eyes met olive ones where worry melted into reassurance.

It was only then that the brunt of realization fell onto the brunet. Ienobu had tried to kill him for a _second time_! Shoichi had evidently rushed on the road to push them both out of harm's way. On the other side, he could see Kyoya staring unblinkingly at them, as though he couldn't quite understand fully what just happened.

Thoughts swirled inside of Tsuna's head : Kyoya was going to be mad. Shoichi had scraped his knee. Ienobu was glaring at him, displeased that he wasn't a bloody piece of meat and bones on the road. Nobu's friends seemed unhappy that their leader's plan had failed. He didn't know how the blond had managed to convince them he had to be eliminated. The driver and his truck had fled the scene. Shoichi had been hurt and he could see that it was a sprained ankle due to his extended knowledge of injuries...

 _Shoichi's ankle was sprained because of Ienobu's actions._

Tsuna's vision turned red. He wasn't furious because of his life being endangered, he was sadly used to being mistreated. He was mad because one of his friends had been injured. That was the one thing he wouldn't tolerate.

While Shoichi was still getting over the fact that they had narrowly escaped death and Kyoya still hadn't broken out of his stupor, Tsunayoshi stood back up.

This time, Ienobu wouldn't get out of this so easily. This couldn't be allowed to happen again. No matter what. Tsuna's eyes started glowing, like lit up by orange fire from the inside.

"Ienobu." started the older twin, his voice stern and full of repressed rage. All the kids present raised their heads and stared shocked. Never had they heard the brunet speak so authoritatively and they all felt compelled to obey him. Even Nobu. "I don't care that you hit me or slander me, but if you ever, _ever_ harm one of my friends in any way, I swear that I will make you pay. You will regret laying a hand on them."

It wasn't a threat, really. It was a promise. He would protect his friends from any harm. He would keep them safe, no matter what happened to him.

It was a vow, his vow. One he would keep until his last breath.

Once he had finished stating his promise, he turned to help Shoichi up, minding his sprained ankle. "Kyoya" he ordered, and the raven immediately went to the inventor's other side to hold his arm. They left without a glance to the other stunned children.

()()()()()()

Back at the Hibari mansion, Shoichi's ankle was bandaged and he was installed in a comfortable chair (Hibird was setting on his lap and singing). Both him and the raven head were still dazed and couldn't understand that Tsuna had been the one to cut Ienobu down like that. They had never seen him so furious. Even when Shoichi had been bullied, he hadn't snapped like that. But then again, it hadn't been a life threatening situation.

Kyoya quickly understood that it had been because of the threat to his friends' lives that Tsuna had lashed out. He knew the Omnivore had fangs, and had seen them when he protected Hibird, but he only now realized that it had only been a glance. Only today had Tsunayoshi showed the extent of his power and strength. His authority. And Kyoya had obeyed that authority without question. Him, the independent, freedom-loving demon of Namimori had bent in front of the small brunet.

And he realized he didn't mind at all.

He acknowledged Sawada Tsunayoshi as his pack-leader, actually had for a long time. He decided once more that he would follow the Omnivore, he would protect him, even when the boy refused to protect himself.

Shoichi was having a similar revelation. Only without the animal kingdom references. His body had moved on his own when he had seen his friend falling before the truck. He had no time to think and was pushing the other out of harm's way before the situation had caught up to him. Tsuna being gone was just too hard a concept for him to grasp. It could not be permitted to happen.

Tsuna had calmed down and his eyes had returned to their usual color. He was still raging, but at had least managed to think properly. Shoichi's sprain would be healed by the next day, thanks to the flame's healing side effect. But that didn't mean that the situation was fine. Ienobu had been shocked by Tsuna's access of authority, but it wouldn't last, and the Sky was sure that the blond would do it again.

The preparations to leave Japan had to be sped up. Nobu would not be given any other opportunity to harm Tsunayoshi's friends. Not now that Shoichi had almost been run over by a truck.

And once again, Tsuna completely ignored how close _he_ had been to dying.

"We need to hurry and leave Namimori. As soon as possible." He declared. His friends were still lost in their own thoughts and absently nodded. They were already planning their next step.

()()()()()()

September came to an end and October began. Shoichi's sprain was indeed gone when he woke up the morning following the truck incident in the Hibari mansion. He pretty much lived there at that point and his family didn't even question his whereabouts.

Tsuna's birthday was approaching fast. Both the red head and Kyoya had already picked their present and the staff of the Hibari mansion had everything ready to celebrate the day their favorite brunet was born.

A 10th birthday was an important date, and everybody in the house was determined to make it memorable. And the servants were aware that their three young masters would leave Namimori to escape the abusing family of Tsunayoshi. They had seen his injuries and scars and bore a strong hatred for the brutes who would harm such a sweet and caring child. The reasons why nothing could be done had been told to them, since they were trusted, but none of the three kids had explained where they were going. So the staff had concluded that this would most likely be the last birthday they would celebrate.

And they had decided that they would make this the greatest party the kids ever attended (while still making it enjoyable for shy Shoichi, cheerful Tsunayoshi, and more importantly unsociable Kyoya who could trash anything he didn't approve of).

The preparations for leaving Namimori were going well for the three friends. Shoichi had managed to hack into the hospital files and erased any data about them (he actually copied them onto his own computer in case he one day needed proof of the abuse on Tsuna) and had everything prepared to make the school think they transferred to another elementary school each in another town in Japan at different dates (Tsuna and Kyoya had both enough absences that it wouldn't be noticed that they left until a few days after). They were ready to vanish and make it so it seemed they never lived there to begin with.

Kyoya's mother had agreed to providing them fake passports (with their true first name to make it easier on them, but fake family names and ages to be harder to track) and would be coming soon to deliver them. She also wanted to meet her son's friends before they left. Once they would be in Italy, they would limit direct contact with their known acquaintances to stay hidden. It might sound paranoiac, but they couldn't afford to underestimate Vongola.

So Mrs Hibari would meet Shoichi and Tsunayoshi soon. To be honest, she was much more curious about the latter. He was the one to first befriend her solitary and aggressive son, and she had understood that he was also the one to bring the inventor into their closed group. Hibari Yukiko had absolute confidence in her son's judgment, but still wanted to see for herself if the 'Omnivore' truly was worthy of the trust and devotion placed on him. She would arrive soon to deliver the fake passports anyway.

Tsuna was having more trouble with his job of finding a place to live and a way to earn money in Italy. He didn't want to burn through their savings too fast, so they had to find a cheap house to live in, at least until they had a stable income. And it needed to be safe from any Mafia influence in Naples, which meant lots and lots of cross-checking and took plenty of time.

Creating a jack-of-all-trades business would have to wait until the actually were in Italy, since they wouldn't be able to build their reputation until they could truly work and prove their worth. Tsuna had, however, decided on how they would promote their company. Fliers to start with, and then, word of mouth should do the trick. To be honest, Tsunayoshi wasn't too worried about their income. They were all talented enough to find jobs despite their young age, and they had more than enough money to last a while.

Their respective duties within the company-to-be were already decided. Tsuna -who had much experience with economics thanks to their investing for Shoichi's experiments- would take care of finances. He would also be the leader of their business (given his recent burst of authority, it was logical) and decide which jobs to accept and which to decline. Shoichi would orchestrate the promoting and Kyoya would make sure that they wouldn't be discovered by the Vongola (he had an undeniable knack for calling delinquents to his side, they could act as spies). He would also deal with most of the administrative paperwork, since he was the most experienced (due to his founding of Namimori's Discipline Committee).

The last problem was finding a name for their company. Giving it a Japanese name was deemed to eye-catching and risky, much to Kyoya's disappointment. The three wanted it to be something meaningful to them, but impossible to guess for others. Shoichi suggested to link it to their flame ability, the one thing they all had in common. But it couldn't be too obvious, so they went for the 'official names', that is to say Sky, Cloud or Sun.

Since Tsuna was to be the head, and the name couldn't be too long for word of mouth to work, they selected the 'Sky' idea. Again, it shouldn't be too obvious, so Tsuna spent some time online, looking for things related to the sky. He found the word 'cerulean' from Latin 'caeruleus' which meant 'sky blue'. It sounded perfect and his two friends agreed for their shop to be called Caeruleus.

So, all that was left to do was to find a discreet place to live in for a while and for Mrs Hibari Yukiko to bring their passports.

()()()()()()

October the 14th. Tsuna's birthday was to be celebrated in the evening, after school. The Sky was giddy with excitement. But the last thing he expected was for Ienobu to accost him before he left the school grounds. The blond had a grumpy expression on his face and seemed unhappy with what he had to say. Shoichi, who wasn't in the same class as the brunet but always regrouped after lessons, quickly went to Tsuna's side and tried to look as menacing as he could (which wasn't much, but at least he tried).

"Hey, Dame-Tsuna" began Ienobu, spiting each word out in disgust. "Mama said she wanted to see you alone today. For my... _our_ birthday." He looked as if the word 'our' was hurting him physically.

Tsuna was stunned. He didn't know what to think. On the one hand, his instinct was whispering that Ienobu wasn't telling the truth, and he wasn't too keen on going in the lion's den without his friends to have his back. On the other hand, he didn't know why his twin would lie to him. He had nothing to gain from Tsuna being in the Sawada household.

Unless it was another assassination attempt, but he couldn't imagine the blond _murdering_ him in front of their Mama. Nana might have been neglecting, but she wasn't a criminal, at least not in Tsuna's mind.

And Tsuna had to admit that he still yearned the acknowledgment of his mother.

Shoichi was looking uneasy, he also found the offer strange, but had reached the same conclusion as his friend if his glance was any indication.

"...OK." started Tsuna after much pondering. "I'll head there immediately after school. Shoichi, could you warn Kyoya and tell him I'll be a little late? It shouldn't last very long."

The red hair nodded. It would do no harm. Ienobu might want to hurt his twin, but he would not go further in front of Nana. And Tsunayoshi was strong enough to get out if anything happened.

How wrong he was...


	8. That burnt with flames of deceit

Another Path Part 8, That burnt with flames of deceit

 **Hello! Here is this week's chapter. I apologize for last week's bad cliffhanger. I usually don't do those, but had to split the chapter in two to keep the length of 4000-5000 words. That seemed like the best place. I'll try not to do that too much, promise.**

 **Also, Tsuna will meet and befriend all his Guardians (in this case, Yamamoto and Sasagawa), but only later.**

 **Disclaimer : I still don't own KHR. I'm sure we're all shocked...**

To say that the walk to the Sawada house was awkward would be the understatement of the decade. Ienobu was striding ahead, grumbling incomprehensibly to himself, while Tsunayoshi was trailing behind, wondering in silence what his mother had to say. She hadn't manifested any interest in his existence since he went to live with Kyoya (not that she actually noticed him before, but she still provided him with most basic necessities).

After exactly 7 minutes of uneasy silence (Tsuna counted), the brunet couldn't bear anymore and asked. "So... Nobu, do you know why Mama wanted to see me?"

The blond boy didn't turn his head and replied "She just said it was for our 10th birthday. I don't know any more than that." Tsuna's intuition ringed : that was a lie. He figured that his twin didn't want to share information, or just wasn't keen on talking to him.

The rest of the way was spent in heavy silence.

()()()()()()

There they were. His old house. Tsuna was surprised by how quick he took to Kyoya's home, and how fast he dropped the concept of the house in front of him being _his_ home. Maybe it was because it never really was. He was always an unwanted stranger in the eyes of Nana and Ienobu. He knew that Iemitsu still saw him as family the few times he came back, but the blond man had always been unable to make his eldest feel like he belonged here.

Tsunayoshi followed Ienobu to the door, the blond unlocked it (Tsuna never had the keys) and let his older brother in first, saying their mother should be waiting for him in his -old- room with a surprise, and that she had prepared juice on the table for them both.

Tsuna's intuition was flaring, but he ignored it. He was after all, still a 10-year-old child, he craved the attention of his mother and couldn't let go of a chance to have it. Even if said chance was highly suspicious. He drank the juice, after absently checking from the corner of his eye that Ienobu drank first. The blond then prompted him to go see their mother in the bedroom.

The door to his bedroom was closed, Tsuna opened it and stepped inside.

The door closed behind him and he heard the sound of a key turning in the lock.

Nana was not in the room.

()()()()()()

Ienobu was overjoyed. His plan had worked perfectly. He had managed to convince his disgusting twin to come with him to his house, and to keep his face dissatisfied to avoid suspicions. The excuse of Mama wanting to see him for their birthday worked like a charm. He noticed how Tsuna always cast wishful glances their way when October the 14th was around the corner, and concluded that he wanted Nana to wish him his birthday. It was the best pretext to drag him along, and Mama was actually in the nearby amusement park waiting for the blond to celebrate _Ienobu_ 's birthday, with no idea of what was happening here.

And that idiot had stepped in the house without questioning, he had drunk the juice laced with his mother's sleeping pills. Ienobu just pretended to drink and the liquid merely touched his lips, he never swallowed. And now, Dame-Tsuna was locked in his room, with the window sealed and the door locked. Truly a fool. Ienobu only had to put the finishing touch to his plan.

He pulled a box of matches from his pocket. He had stolen them earlier that day. He lit one (he had practiced for a few weeks before, to make sure everything worked perfectly), and threw it on the trail of alcohol going from the front of the stairs to Dame-Tsuna's room. The previous day, he had made sure to soak as many things as he could in there with the stolen cleaning alcohol, and even let the window open all night to lessen the smell. This morning, he had closed the windows and taped it. The alcohol hadn't completely evaporated, it was too cold.

And now, Tsuna was stuck in the burning room. He was even drugged, so there was no way he could escape. And when the police would come with questions, Ienobu could just say that his twin had probably wanted to burn the house himself in a petty vengeance against his smarter and better younger brother. It's not like anyone would suspect the blond, he was a child and had a perfect reputation with teachers and students alike. And his parents adored him, why would he feel the need to play arsonist in his own home?

He was the perfect child, Mama always said so every day. Even Papa spent all his little time home with Ienobu. Tsuna was useless and stupid. Over the years, the blond boy had started believing his own lies, and his hatred of his twin grew like a monster. How dare that waste of space be happy, when he was beneath Ienobu? He was not allowed to have anything that his blond brother lacked. And yet the brunet's beaming smile had stayed on his face. That was _wrong_! Ienobu had never been so happy that he could smile like that : he always wanted, craved, yearned, needed more than he had. So Tsuna couldn't be allowed to keep smiling like that. Ienobu would make sure to correct this mistake today.

Nobody had ever told him that he was wrong or that he had to stop envying his twin. In the blond's mind, he was always in his right, and nobody had ever put an end to his misguided thoughts. It spiraled into hatred and madness since neither of his parents or teachers (authority figures that should have stepped up) bothered to act. For Ienobu, he was completely allowed to kill something as useless and annoying as his twin.

The fire was rapidly growing, and Ienobu judged that it was time to regroup with his mother in the amusement park, and to enjoy this beautiful day.

()()()()()()

Tsuna was stuck in the burning room. Normally, he would have broken through the door or the window by now and left (a second floor is nothing to someone who follows Hibari Kyoya on his patrols), but his mind was blurry and he couldn't focus enough to call his flames and get out.

Thankfully, he had grown somewhat used to stressful situations and didn't panic. Well, didn't panic too much. It was now obvious that everything had been schemed by Ienobu to kill him, he was just amazed that the blond was willing to burn his own house to bring him down.

He needed to get out of the house. As soon as possible before he either burned to death, was asphyxiated by the smoke, or was overpowered by whatever was in that stupid juice. Now that he thought back on it, why did he drink it? Maybe because his intuition, while saying that it would not be a good idea, didn't detect any poison. He never expected Ienobu to pull such an elaborated assassination attempt...

'No, Tsuna, stop trailing off, you need to focus on escaping from here' he mentally scolded himself. The drug (sleeping pills) was really starting to affect him. He forced himself to analyze his the rapidly burning room : the door was locked and too resistant for him to break without his flames. Same for any walls. His best bet was the windows.

But the path between him and the windows was already engulfed in flames (normal ones) and he couldn't shatter them so easily either. Sure, Tsuna could fight, but he relied mostly on his speed, his small frame to avoid attacks, and his knowledge of exactly where to hit to down his opponent. He had little raw strength.

He glance around the blazing room. The heat and smoke was obstructing his sight, but he still spotted a wooden chair that was spared by the flames so far. It was too small for him now, but should be enough to destroy the glass windows.

He only had a little time left, he could feel himself slowly falling asleep. He grabbed the chair and threw it violently on the window. It bounced back, leaving the glass intact. He would need to step closer the fire and hit it directly with the chair.

That's what he did. He could feel the fire scorching his arms and legs, but willed himself to ignore it. At least, the pain helped in fighting the effect of the sleeping pills.

The first hit on the window only cracked it. Mustering the last of his strength, the brunet hit the window again. It shattered, and a few pieces grazed his arms.

Tsuna jumped and crashed on the grass outside. He was too tired to cushion his fall properly, and it hurt. He had multiple burns, blisters and cuts, and he was about to succumb to sleep. But he still had one more thing to do before falling unconscious. He _couldn't_ be found here, both because he didn't want trouble with the police, and because he wouldn't risk Nobu finding him (he didn't know that hos twin was long gone to celebrate his birthday).

Tsunayoshi pulled out his cellphone, it was one of the things they had prepared in secret to go to Italy. It only had two numbers recorded, and the brunet called one at random, he didn't have the strength to check.

"Tsuna? What's wrong, why did you call?" asked the frantic voice of Shoichi. They weren't supposed to use their phones in Japan unless it was an emergency.

"Sawada house" mumbled the boy, his mind was too hazy to speak full sentences. "Nobu... fire... sleep... need help..." and he collapsed.

A few minutes later, as the fire-fighters' alarm was coming closer, the brunet's unconscious body was picked up by a worried raven-head. They both left as the firemen started extinguishing the inferno that was the second floor of the Sawada household.

()()()()()()

Tsuna woke up late at night the same day. His arms and legs were bandaged and he was lying on a bed which he recognized as Kyoya's. How strange : Tsuna had his own bed and room in the Hibari mansion, and the raven had _never_ lent his bed. Yes, Tsuna had already slept in this room, but it was when he had been too tired and distressed to move elsewhere. And he had slept on the ground/table at that time.

So something really bad must have happened for Kyoya to allow him to sleep here. If only he could remember wh...

Oh, right, Ienobu had tried to burn him to death. He only just remembered that.

"Tsuna" "Tsunayoshi" called relieved voices from the door.

His two friends rushed to his side (Kyoya walked slower, but only because he was too proud to run) and asked him how he was feeling.

"I'm fine, really. My limbs hurt a bit, but I'll be OK after a few days. I think..."

"Yes" hurriedly replied Shoichi. "You have some nasty burns and blisters from the fire that should heal after a couple days, and your cuts from glass shards are shallow. But what we really wanted to know was if you were alright emotionally."

"Oh, I don't know. I guess I'm alright. I mean, it's not like I didn't know that he wanted to kill me" answered the brunet flippantly. "To be honest, I'm not as shocked as you'd expect. I guess I grew used to the idea that my twin is after my head. It means that I _really_ need to get out of here. I'm more surprised by how much Nobu's willing to destroy to get me. It was _his_ house after all. Did it burn down completely?" he inquired serenely. Shoichi thought it to be eerie, but Kyoya saw it as a proof that the Omnivore had grown up.

"No, only a part of the second floor was destroyed" informed the Cloud. He pondered on his next words for a second before adding. "You shouldn't have followed the bastard Herbivore."

Tsuna lowered his head. He knew he had messed up, and he was aware that he had greatly worried his two friends. "I know, Kyoya. I was just hoping that Mama, I mean, Nana, would actually want to see me. I guess Nobu knew that and used it against me. I won't happen again." He stayed silent for a while. "I'm sorry for worrying you two."

His two friends exchanged looks. They hadn't wanted to guilt trip the brunet, so Kyoya quickly changed the subject. "You won't have to worry about lowering your guard around him anymore. He has managed to accuse you of the fire and the police is after you. Iemitsu is likely to be informed, so we need to leave Japan tomorrow. I have instructed Tetsuya to protect the peace of Namimori and he has memorized my number in case of emergency. Shoichi has already informed his parents that he is going to 'study' abroad and has prepared everything with the school. Mother is on the way to deliver the passports."

Tsuna's eyes widened for a second there. He had not expected things to move so fast. But he recovered promptly and nodded in understanding. There was no other way.

()()()()()()

The three boys managed to get some sleep before morning came, all in Kyoya's room, either on the bed or futons on the floor (Tsuna argued that the bed was Kyoya's, but the others forced him to keep it : he was the one injured). The sun was just rising when Hibari Yukiko came home.

She went directly to her son's room. She worked for an Intelligence agency, she heard about the fire and the police looking for her son's first friends. Kyoya had told her enough about Sawada Tsunayoshi for her to guess that he was innocent. But she still had to meet him face to face to be sure.

As she expected, the three boys were waking up after hearing her coming. Yukiko could identify them all with a glance. Of course, the raven that was up the fastest and looked like he was scowling was her son (she knew him enough to see that he was actually happy to see her, but hid his joy behind his usual glare).

The red-head with crooked glasses that was having trouble getting out of his daze was most likely Irie Shoichi. Kyoya had told her that the boy was a genius inventor and handled all the computer-related problems. He was weak physically, but was stubborn enough to keep his promises and resolves.

So that meant the last bandaged one rising from the bed was...

Yukiko paused, eyes slightly wilder. The color of his hair and eyes was different and he was younger, but...

So her boy had managed to befriend Vongola Primo's descendant. Go figure...

Actually, it kind of made sense. Vongola Primo had left Vongola for Japan and took the name Sawada Ieyasu. Her research showed that Sawada Iemitsu was related to Giotto and Tsunayoshi was likely related to the Young Lion. Also, given his bloodline, the child probably had Sky flames, which would explain how he managed to bond so easily with her solitary Kyoya. Yukiko only wondered whether Tsunayoshi knew about his ties to the Mafia and if his flames were active.

She wanted to interrogate the kid, but was also reluctant to alienate herself with her son's first and most important friend (Kyoya _did_ also like Shoichi, but it was obvious his friendship was first and foremost to the brunet). She would have to be subtle about this, so as not to reveal anything about the Mafia, in case they don't know about it.

"Good morning Kyoya" the child nodded slightly as a reply. "You two must me Sawada Tsunayoshi and Irie Shoichi. It is nice to meet you, my name is Hibari Yukiko, and as you may know, I am Kyoya's Mother. You can call me Yukiko-san." The two boys bowed and answered her greetings. They were very polite, she thought.

"I have heard you three are planning to disappear from Namimori and that you only need the passports I bring. While I have nothing against that, I would like to know more about you two before you leave with my son." The two nodded. It was a reasonable request. "So, Sawada-kun, are you by any chance related to Sawada Iemitsu?" she went straight to the heart of the problem.

The brunet flinched a the name of his father, but replied nonetheless. "Yes, Yukiko-san, and please call me Tsunayoshi or Tsuna. I don't like my family name all that much. And Iemitsu is my father, though we are not very close." And for some reason, the Sky kept staring at her unblinkingly, but she assumed it was a normal behavior for him.

The raven woman nodded. It was as she expected. She was pondering on how to ask about the man's job when Tsuna interrupted her thoughts. "You must we wondering of I know of his activities. Yes, I know Iemitsu is a higher-up in Vongola, the largest Mafia Famiglia, but he doesn't know that I'm aware of this. I overheard him once talking about it and Kyoya filled the blanks."

Hyper Intuition guessed the bewildered woman. And a strong one, for him to guess that much. It seems her Kyoya had met with quite the phenomenon. "I see. I do remember Kyoya asking for access to our family records recently. I imagine it was for that." the raven boy nodded. "So do you know how much _power_ the Vongola holds?" she asked, stressing the word to see if the kids knew and caught the reference to the secretly famous ability of the Mafia.

Tsunayoshi eyed her thoughtfully for a few long seconds. The other two had remained silent during the whole conversation. 'So Tsunayoshi really is their leading Sky' mentally noted Yukiko.

The brunet finally decided to reply. "I assume you know about that flame ability." he observed her eyes. He apparently found something there since he continued. "Yes, we three know of that. I unlocked mine at a young age. Kyoya saw me use it once and asked that I teach him. Shoichi was brought in on our secret later on."

That was surprising. "So all three of you can summon your flames?" She asked and the three children proceeded in calling colored fire inside their palms. Kyoya's was a deep purple (so he was a Cloud, how _not_ surprising, she thought), Shoichi's was bright yellow, and Tsunayoshi's was a mesmerizing orange. So he really was a Sky, and a gifted one if the ease with which he summoned his power was any indication. No wonder he harmonized with Kyoya.

Still, it was highly unusual for a kid to spontaneously manifest his flame, even if he was Mafia related. And the brunet had apparently managed to teach two other boys how to call theirs, despite not having any qualifications. A mix of raw talent and powerful Hyper Intuition, probably.

"I see. Well, now that the biggest issues have been dealt with, Why don't you two boys tell me more about yourselves?" continued Hibari Yukiko.

()()()()()()

The three children and the mother continued talking about themselves around breakfast until it was 11. Yukiko learned the details of the fife of her son's two friends, and listened as they explained their plans away from Namimori. She couldn't help but nod approvingly : it was well though of and seemed the best course of action for children ranging from 9 (Shoichi) to 12 (Kyoya).

She was about to hand over the modified passports (where they were aged from 13 to 16, the kids were very mature, it should work despite their juvenile looks), except she emitted one last restriction.

"I know I won't be able to see you or communicate with you directly for a while to avoid Vongola tracking you through me, but it should be alright for another family member to visit and act as a messenger."

The kids exchanged looks before Tsuna (who was definitely the leader given the amount of times he replied for them all) answered. "I guess it could work, at least if said relative is discreet enough. And he could act as intermediary for Shoichi to send letters to his parents."

Yukiko smiled slightly. The boys were cautious, they would be fine (and she knew her Kyoya could trash most threats before they became a problem). "Don't worry, I know just who to ask. My brother will be more than happy to transmit any letter you send him to your family, Shoichi. And I can assure you he can be inconspicuous." Her son had visibly tensed when she mentioned her brother. The other two sent him inquiring glances.

"My uncle" began the raven boy, though his tone screamed reluctance. "works as an assassin for the Chinese Triads. But he will be perfect for the job. Vongola shouldn't be able to track him, and they can't interfere so easily with the Triads."

The other two nodded, well past the point where they were scared or even shocked by the Hibari members' occupations. After all, they even heard that one of Kyoya's ancestors worked for the Vongola and even founded the CEDEF...

"I'll inform him of your respective situations, if you don't mind." Added his mother. "He isn't the kind to leave children without help if they need it, and it would limit the risks of him unintentionally revealing anything to the Mafia." The children agreed, if both the ravens were willing to trust that person, so will they. "Well, I guess all that's left is to hand you your passports."

They thanked her profusely (well, Tsuna and Shoichi did, Kyoya just grunted) and went to get the bags they had prepared beforehand. After that, Shoichi fooled the school's system into believing they had transferred at different times and to various destinations (Tsuna in Sapporo, Kyoya in Osaka and Shoichi in Kyoto) and bought tickets to multiple destinations to cover their tracks farther.

They ended up taking three different trains to reach Tokyo and Shoichi made sure to erase any trace of it from the train company's records. Then they took the plane to Russia, then from there to France and finally to Rome in Italy. A few members of the airport staff sent them funny looks, but the kids' mature attitude, and their proficiency in the local language (Tsuna's talents were impressive) got them off the hook.

Once in Rome, they took a train for Naples by following the same pattern.

It took them two days and a half, and they were exhausted.

Tsuna, who had a map and had memorized the places most likely for them to find a cheap apartment to rent, led them to a rather run-down district. It took them a couple more hours, but they managed to find a dilapidated flat from a pretty shady man. Between Kyoya's threatening glare and Tsuna's surprisingly good negotiating abilities, the flat was theirs.

It only consisted in a living room, a single bed room where they would all sleep, a decrepit bathroom who miraculously still had running warm water, and a tiny kitchen.

It would be uncomfortable, but they could endure. And either way, this should only be a temporary arrangement. They would lay low and hide for a month, all the while making flyers for their new shop (Caeruleus, a jack-of-all-trades business) and increase their reputation through word of mouth.

Once they get a large enough customer base and earn enough to ensure they wouldn't run out of money, they would find a new, better, place to settle and build up shop. That way, they could receive customers.


	9. That went into trouble

Another Path Part 9 : That raised a storm

 **Disclaimer : Still don't own KHR.**

 **You can now admire how bad my 'thug talk' is (any tip would be a great help in that area especially). And I'm sorry in advance for the cliffhanger. Please don't kill me.**

 **To reply to reviews : CiaoKawaiirina : No, I don't intend for Haru, Kyoko and Hana to be major characters, but supporting ones, if only because I have trouble writing them.**

 **whiteicewolf : I see we have some ideas in common (evil laugh). But not so soon.**

 **Finally to one of the guest reviewers : I did base the beginning of my story on one I read a (long) while ago (way before I made an account). I didn't find it when I looked for it (and neither did I find the story you talked about) though I'd love to read it again. As for the points in common, I admit that I may have borrowed some ideas (but I used them differently if I remember correctly). However, many (if not all) of those ideas are used in several fanfictions already, so I don't consider it plagiarism. I would love to continue this talk with you, but it would be better for you to make an account and PM me, rather than have me write an overgrown monster of AN each week, please.**

Things proceeded better than they expected. The first few jobs happened after a week. They were uninteresting, but chasing vagrant pets and helping carry shopping bags greatly increased their reputation. They always gave it their all, and their results spoke for themselves. Word of mouth quickly got them a steady customer base. The first people to hire them all questioned them about their age, but their talents promptly shut all protests. That, and they lied about grown-ups supporting them and leaving all the 'small' jobs to their kids.

There were a few rules to their business. First : nothing illegal, it would draw the attention of the Mafia and they didn't want that. Second : they were to always discuss any suspicious job with each other before accepting or declining. Tsuna was the leader, but he refused to be sole responsible for who did what. The others didn't mind. Finally, the pay of any job was to be talked about with the client before accepting. And any unexpected difficulty would increase the price. It should prevent the children from entering contracts and finding out that their job held more issues that they signed for. So far, no client outright refused those terms.

The first interesting tasks they were hired for came 6 weeks after they arrived in Italy. A woman called them (on the cellphone bought specially for their work) and asked if any of them could tutor her child in English.

Tsuna took that offer (he was the best one for that) and the kid got great grades afterwards. After that, many more tutoring jobs came. The language and literature ones were handled by Tsunayoshi while the science ones were taken by Shoichi -Kyoya was not trusted to teach impressionable children for some unfathomable reason.

The raven also got his chance to shine. A client called one day, saying he got the number from an acquaintance of his, and asked if they could be body-guards, or could contact a security agency for him. Tsuna, who answered the call, replied that they had just the person and that he would be coming, provided the man gave the address.

The client was obviously doubtful that a single man could deal with the body-guarding task, but Tsuna reassured him that he would be fully reimbursed from his loss should the job be failed with an added bonus of a few thousand euros. The man agreed with the pay Tsuna demanded and Kyoya went to meet with his new employer.

The man, who was a fairly reputable jeweler, needed someone to escort him as he delivered a command. He was shocked to see a child arrive and only signed the contract when the raven head reminded him that he would not lose any money if he failed -and when said kid glared so dangerously at him that he didn't dare contradict him.

A few gangsters tried to attack the jeweler in his car. The key-word is 'tried'. Kyoya promptly dispatched them and called the police. The rest of the trip was calm, and upon arrival, the client thanked the kid profusely. From then on, he became one of their frequent patrons and even spread their phone number to his friends and associates. Kyoya had a steady source of income, but still accepted more 'unspecialized' jobs like his friends. That was the way their business worked.

Shoichi had the same sort of experience after showing his computer skills to other companies. He was very talented when it came to securing their networks and repairing any damaged electronics. The red head also sold a few of his original concepts. He was paid the most out of all his friends, but was also the busiest.

Tsuna had been lucky to be hired to translate a few official contracts, and one thing leading to another, ended up translating documents and books. The best point was that he could stay at their home and answer any call easily.

Speaking of their home, they had decided to move out of their decrepit flat.

A couple months had passed and they figured that Vongola had definitely lost their tracks. Their finances were at their best and they were offered to buy a vacant land inside Naples for cheap by one of the companies where Shoichi had replaced their obsolete security system (with inputs from Kyoya). They already knew a construction company willing to work for them (they were still minors) since the three friends had helped them order their paperwork. They also used that occasion to learn as much as they could about construction, any skill could be useful in their field.

Drawing the blueprints and building the house took four months. In the end, the Japanese kids were the owners of a one floor house with a big 'living room' at the entrance where they would welcome their clients, named the 'Office'. The back would be private, with a kitchen, a large dinning room, two bathroom, another living room, a small garden and eight bedrooms -Tsuna had insisted, apparently his Hyper Intuition (Hibari Yukiko had kindly informed him of the name, but refused to say anymore) thought they would need many rooms.

They also had an underground level built, with five large training rooms -three large and two smaller ones- with different purposes for Kyoya and Tsunayoshi (who actually enjoyed sparing and learning from the raven, as long as it didn't turn into a real fight), two bathrooms, a changing room and two labs for Shoichi. They all agreed that, given the inventor's unfortunate habit of blowing up, melting, disintegrate or however else destroy things, a back-up lab where the 'safest' and more expensive devices would stay would be a great idea...

Since they now had a real home to take care of, new rules were established. They would take turns cleaning and cooking each day. Before, they would buy already prepared food and only clean the bare minimum since their flat was a wreck anyways and the kitchen consisted of a lone microwave and a tiny fridge.

Tsuna and Kyoya were fairly good at cooking. The brunet actually enjoyed the activity and tried to vary his recipes, while the Cloud kept to his traditional Japanese customs. Shoichi on the other hand... Well, let's just say that his curiosity and creative mind were just as active as when he invented. And that meant his food was not always strictly edible and occasionally presented an _unusual_ taste...

But Shoichi was also the best when it came to cleaning. Neither Tsuna nor Kyoya had ever been forced to tidy their room and were kind of lost when the Sun handed them a broom. The red hair had to hold his laughter when they started swinging it back and forth with a focused face, only moving the dust around.

The three children also decided to continue their education, only from home. Thankfully, it was quite easy to hack into the nearest school's system, enroll them as home-schooled students and only go there to send their tests. Shoichi had said that they should try and get actual diplomas to back their reputation, and the others had nothing to argue. They even studied some college material of their favored subjects to get a head start.

They settled in a comfortable routine : they got up early in the morning (Tsuna and Kyoya always did, and years of friendship had gotten Shoichi used to that). They did their schoolwork in the public living room -the 'Office'- to welcome any potential customers. Since building their house, they only accepted jobs from new clients after meeting them face to face. Kyoya said it was a waste of time, but Shoichi and Tsuna argued that it would be easier to sort what deal was legal and what was shady that way. Patrons who they trusted and who had already made a deal with them once before could just call and make a contract through the phone.

The three kids usually spent the day waiting, making sure that at least one of them always remained in the office, and left to fulfill any deal they already had or just made. That left them a lot of time to study, invent, train, or care for the house. Tsuna was the one to stay the most in the office, partly due to his jobs (translating documents or books can be done at home) and partly because he was the most courteous and the best negotiator of the bunch (Kyoya was banned from answering the phone unless no-one else was available. Apparently some people don't like being called 'useless Herbivores who can't deal with their own problems' for some reason...).

At that point, no regular minded that they were all minors, and the new patrons quickly realized that they were talented regardless of their age.

()()()()()()

Tsuna and Kyoya had been hired for a delivery job that day. They were to transport two large, tightly wrapped packages to the other side of Naples. Thankfully, a few weeks ago, they had bought bikes to facilitate traveling around. The raven had wanted a motorcycle, but was still too young to drive.

Tsunayoshi's Intuition had sent contradicting signals when the client had hired them. It was like the job was a good and a bad deal at the same time. The man did give off an air of danger, but it was a simple delivery job, so the brunet had decided to take it. He still asked Kyoya to come with him, just in case things got sour.

Anyway, they were currently riding in one of the most unwelcoming area of Naples. The district was obviously very poor, and the few people they passed on the streets sent them distrustful gazes. Not a very good sign.

Kyoya was guarded and Tsuna was about to ask him if they should abandon the job when they turned and entered the plaza they were sent to. And at that point, both understood _very well_ that this job had been a bad idea.

A score of men in pitch black suits were waiting for them, weapons loaded and ready to fire.

The brunet promptly sent a glance to his parter meaning 'don't start attacking them for now, I'll negotiate'. Kyoya just nodded imperceptibly. They knew each other well enough to read communicate silently by now.

Tsuna, who was used to adrenaline-packed situations thanks to his best friend, swallowed and attempted to calm the situation down. "Hi, we're from Caeruleus and we were asked to deliver these packages to this plaza. The client said that people would be waiting for us. I gather he was talking about you?" His tone was as calm as he could manage, and it seemed to appease his tense companion and surprise the men -Mafioso, obviously, but Tsuna was an optimist.

A man, dressed in a visibly more expensive suit, came forward. 'The leader' thought the boys. He spoke in a irritatingly patronizing voice. "Ah, yes, we were waiting for that." He gestured for two of his men to take the packages. The kids didn't move. "I didn't know that you would be brats, but I suppose it doesn't matter much." He was smiling at that point. It was vicious and sent shiver down Tsuna's spine.

"You two go and wait in that area for a while until we have time to... deal with your case properly. I've business to attend to and I don't want you wandering around." It was an order, not a request, and Tsuna -who still hoped to settle things peacefully- dragged his friend to the designated place. It was a corner of the plaza guarded by more scary looking men, though they were not dressed as neatly or as uniformly as the first bunch. Probably hired men, thought the Sky. The boys sat down on the ground and waited.

Soon, Tsuna spotted a younger boy in the midst of the mercenaries. It was a wonder he hadn't seen him before : the kid had beautiful silver hair and green eyes. He also sported one of the worst scowls Tsuna had ever seen (and he had seen a lot) and was smoking a bit farther away from the others.

Feeling curious and having nothing better to do, the brunet observed the boy. It occurred to him that the older mercenaries were sending him scornful glances or were openly slandering the silveret. Tsuna wondered why. Sure, the boy didn't look very friendly, but such spite seemed unwarranted.

The smoker turned and caught Tsuna staring at him. It seemed to infuriate him and he stalked towards him. "Hey, you bastard" started the irate boy. "Stop staring if you don't want a dynamite stick to be shoved where the sun don't shine."

Tsuna couldn't help but smile. Really, he couldn't explain why if his life depended on it, but he was amused by the other boy's speech. Kyoya, on the other hand, bristled threateningly, so the brunet decided to intervene. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare or to make you uncomfortable. I was just thinking that you seemed a bit young to be here. Are you a mercenary?" His honest curiosity seemed to unsettle the silveret.

"Yeah, I'm a fucking mercenary. And you don't look any older than me." he spit out, but the earlier aggression wasn't there. "What are you two doing here anyway?"

"Oh, we were hired to deliver the two packages they are opening over there." Tsuna pointed to where four men were lifting guns and riffles. "Although we weren't told we would be transporting guns." He sighed. "I guess we shouldn't have accepted that job." Kyoya snorted besides him. "Do you know what's happening here? We would like to be on our way as soon as possible."

The smoking boy looked at him with a mix of disbelief, pity and sympathy. He didn't seem so bad, mused Tsuna. "You really don't know?" Tsuna shook his head and Kyoya glared a bit harder at the opposite wall. "You two idiots have been caught in between a Mafia battle. Two Famiglias are going to be killing each other here in minutes and you're standing in between."

"Oh" nodded the brunet. He had expected that much. The silveret looked at him like he was crazy. He was obviously a civilian -though his companion seemed too bloodthirsty- and shouldn't civilians panic in situations like these? He was about to be murdered for goodness's sake! "I see. And what are you doing here? You don't seem to be a part of this Famiglia. Oh, and what's your name?"

The silveret was flabbergast, but answered automatically. "I'm Hayato Gokudera, also known as Smoking Bomb Hayato, and I've fucking already told you that I'm a mercenary. Though I was promised a place in this Famiglia if they won." And why was he responding to the crazy brunet? The crazy brunet whose face lit up suddenly.

"Oh, you're Japanese! So are we! My name is Sawada Tsunayoshi, or rather Tsunayoshi Sawada here. You can just call me Tsuna, Hayato. And this grumpy guy is Kyoya Hibari." Hayato was dumbstruck. Why was that boy so cheery when he was about to receive a stray bullet (if he wasn't downright assassinated once everything was over)? And who gave him permission to just call him 'Hayato'? Didn't Japanese people refer to strangers by their family name? And why was Hayato already answering him?!

"I'm only a quarter Japanese. Never been to Japan in my life. And why the hell are you still so happy in this situation?" The raven head -Kyoya?- at the madman's side only gave an exasperated look at his companion and went on to glare at the air. Did that mean that this kind of thing happened often?

"Why, I just made a new friend, of course I'd be happy." chirped the insane brunet. "And I'm not too worried, you know. I'm sure Kyoya and I can manage to get out of here once they drop their guard." He affirmed with a beaming, innocent smile.

Hayato was torn between blushing for being called a friend (hey, it was the first time anyone said that to him!), yelling that he wasn't friends with mental asylum escapees, or carefully explaining that the odds of two civilians getting out of a Mafia attack alive were painfully low. "I'm not your friend." He said, tone lower than intended and a pink blush powdering his cheeks. Damn. "And I don't think you understand your frigging situation. You. Are. Going. To. Get. Killed." Apparently he picked all three choices at once.

The brunet -Tsuna, he was called Tsuna- looked miserable (how could a boy over 5 pull that puppy eyes look off?) but still offered a sad smile. "It's OK, we'll be fine. I hope we see each other again after that."

Hayato was about to restart his explanation when one of the men in charge called all fighters to the front. He sent a last glance to the two odd children and went to battle, dynamites already in hand.

The following fight was messy and Tsuna and Kyoya used the opportunity to flee discreetly. Kyoya wanted to bite a few Herbivores to death, but his friend hold him back : they needed to escape before people noticed or remembered them.

The two kids had finally managed to run a few streets away from the battlefield. Their bikes had unfortunately been left behind and the Cloud wanted to head home since he couldn't fight, but his companion was standing still and sending wishful glances in the direction of the plaza. Kyoya knew that look and could only sigh : Tsuna's Intuition was whispering him things again, and he wasn't going to leave.

"I want to head back there" murmured the dazed brunet. "There's something that we have to do."

The raven shook his head. They had to be sensible, and he hated being the reasonable one. He was Hibari Kyoya for goodness' sake, he didn't do reasonable! "If we're not going there to bite Herbivores to death, we should wait until the fight has settled down."

His partner twisted his head to see him. His eyes were shining a beautiful orange, just like his flames. The Sky gazed at him contemplatively before nodding slowly and turning again to wait for the sounds of battle to end. Kyoya had already seen that look a few times, but it still mesmerized him. Tsuna always seemed so distant and focused when he became like that.

()()()()()()

An hour passed and silence finally fell on the two boys. The battle was seemingly over.

They headed to the plaza. The sun was setting and cast long shadows on the streets, perfect for not being seen.

The plaza was littered with bodies, but thankfully, most lethal wounds were rather small due to gunshots. It was gory, but it could have been worse. Kyoya frowned. It wasn't his first time seeing corpses, but he didn't like the idea of the Omnivore seeing them. The brunet might be hardened and strong, but he was still oh so innocent in some ways.

But Tsuna didn't even spare more than a glance at the carnage. He was looking at the still standing men on the other side of the plaza. He recognized a few of them : apparently the Famiglia who had captured them had won. 'Good' thought Tsuna in his strange state of mind 'that means Hayato might have survived'.

He didn't know what had him so worried for the silveret's well-being. Maybe it was the look he had when the older mercenaries were slandering him, or the small hope he had seen in his eyes when he had talked about becoming a part of his contracting Famiglia. Tsuna knew what it felt like to be unwanted and rejected. To be insulted for things you were not entirely responsible for. And he could understand the need to belong better than most.

But his Intuition said that this Famiglia was not good for Hayato.

The two boys approached the surviving men as discreetly as they could. Tsuna's hearts lept in his chest when he spotted the silveret. He was bloody and bruised, and was favoring his right leg, but he seemed to be fine. At least his scowl had not disappeared from his face.

The grown-ups were talking to each other.

"Huh, didn't expect these fuckers to be so tough. A lot of good men got killed thanks to them." Said the man who had talked to them when they first arrived. The boss.

"At least we hired free-lancers, right? They got to be killed before our men." spit out thug number one. "Those scums were at least useful."

"Hey!" Hayato raised the head he had kept down all this time. He had a nasty black eye and a few bruises, noted Tsuna. "Just because someone's free-lance doesn't mean they're scum!"

"What?" growled thug number two. "Like you've got anything to say. You're a bastard child and have mixed blood. You should be thankful that you're allowed to breathe!"

The silveret's head fell down once more. Apparently he had heard these kind of comments before. "Whatever, just take me in you family already." he muttered.

The men surrounding him started to laugh.

"You really though we'd take in a stray dog like you in our Famiglia?"guffawed the leader.

"Haha! You're even more stupid than we'd though." added thug number two. Tsuna was starting to see red. Those men had tricked Hayato in putting his life on the line for nothing. And now they were trampling both his pride and his hope of finding a place to belong.

"Wha! You mean you won't make me a part of your Famiglia?" screamed the silveret. You could read the desperation on his face under all his anger. "You promised that if you won this fight you'd officially make me a member! You've won this fucking fight, so now you have to keep your word! You swore on the honor of your Famiglia, dammit!"

The men had started to laugh again, until Hayato mentioned their honor. Apparently, that was a subject they didn't like to hear smeared.

"Hey, you bastard" growled the leader while taking a threatening step towards Hayato. "A stray like you has no right to even talk about honor. You're just scum that has been left on the streets. We've picked you up to use you, but we sure as hell ain't gonna keep trash like you any longer than necessary." He sported a devious smile as an idea suddenly came to him. "And by the way, our contract was only valid if neither of us croaks during the fight. And it's too bad, but I get the feeling you won't survive much longer."

He pulled a gun out of one of his inner pockets and aimed it a Hayato's face. His two closest henchmen move to immobilize to stunned and betrayed silveret.

From the shadows he was hiding in, Tsuna's eye burnt brighter than ever before. Kyoya even saw an orange flame appear on his forehead. That had never happened before.

The usually kind brunet now looked furious and _dangerous_. It was the same look as the one he had when Ienobu injured Shoichi when he had tried to push Tsuna under a truck. Except for the flame on his head, which reminded the raven of the mane of a proud lion, ready to pounce on his prey and slaughter it in a flash.

While Kyoya was lost in his thoughts, he missed Tsuna walking towards the Mafiosi. That is, until his oddly deep and calm voice rang out in the plaza.

"That is enough."


	10. That welcomed the storm

Another Path Part 10 : That welcomed the storm

 **Hello again. I still can't believe this fic got over 100 reviews in 10 chapters. You guys (and girls) are the best.**

 **Also, thanks to Harihi and ShinDragonX, I can now give credits to the story that inspired me : To that faraway sky, by Cywscross, that can be found on Ao3. I highly recommend it.**

 **Disclaimer : Still don't own KHR.**

"That is enough."

All the surviving Mafiosi turned their heads to stare at the newcomer with shivers running down their backs. They hadn't seen the boy arrive and didn't expect to be interrupted. The leader vaguely remembered the kid as one of the two who had delivered their guns an ammo. But the _thing_ walking towards him at a steady pace was way too different. Though he hadn't been as terrified as one could have thought, the boy had been meek and obeyed without protest, unlike the threat that was halfway in front of him.

Humans didn't have glowing sunset orange eyes that seemed to judge you for your sins and fire on their heads -though he vaguely recalled a story about how those affiliated with Vongola could use colored fire powers. But that had merely been a rumor, one of the many exaggerating the might of the still most powerful Famiglia. And not one of the most believable ones. It sounded like a TV show for kids. The _thing_ in front of him was real.

The brunet opened his mouth to speak again. "You _will_ release that boy without further harm, or you will have to face us." The voice was still eerily calm. The Mafiosi would rather have him scream.

From the shadows another figure emerged. There was the other kid, the bloodthirsty one, recalled the leader. The raven looked a bit surprised to be honest, but quickly went to stand besides his friends, tonfas flashing out of his jacket.

Another few steps and the monster would be on him. They had to act, and fast. The leader straightened his arm, who had faltered when the thing appeared. His gun was once again in the silveret's face. He had 16 men still standing and able to fight. That should be enough to put the monster and his friends down, now that they had a hostage.

"Y-you take one more step and I blow his brains out!" threatened the boss. His subordinates moved to protect him and kill the thing.

The monster paused, his eyes staring straight into the boss'. That was just terrifying and he couldn't help the shivers that raked his body. The thing spoke. "I see you refuse to let go. So be it, you were fairly warned."

The thugs barely had time to register the words before a flash of orange fire struck through their defense and hit their boss in the arm and stomach. The man was sent flying to the opposite wall where he crashed loudly. He had had no time to shoot.

Hayato was staring at the figure in front of him, the one who saved his life. He barely recognized the brunet as Tsuna, the weird civilian who said he could escape and called him a friend. Apparently, his skills were as he had said, and the silveret couldn't help but hope that he also said the truth for the second part.

It took a few seconds for the henchmen to regain their bearings and begin attacking. Tsunayoshi took the arm of the stunned silveret and pulled him to safety. He had no doubt Kyoya could take care of the thugs on his own without trouble. He had grown very proficient with infusing his purple -Cloud- flames in his tonfas to increase their potency. The remaining Mafiosi were all injured in some way, they didn't stand a chance.

The 'fight' -one-sided massacre would be more appropriate- lasted a dozen minutes. The raven child barely had a scratch and the others were all on the floor, still breathing, but heavily wounded.

Tsuna, who was still in his strangely calm state, left Hayato's side to talk with the Mafioso boss. He was hunched against a wall but was still conscious. His right arm was oddly crooked and he couldn't fight back anymore. "You will leave Hayato alone." Stated the brunet. It went without saying that this was not a suggestion. "And you will never speak a word of what happened here to a soul. We never met. Understood?" The boss nodded frantically. Anything to be away from the monster. "Good."

Kyoya, Tsuna and Hayato left the plaza (Tsuna pulled Hayato by the arm all along) and only stopped when they reached a secluded street far away.

The Sky took a deep breath and the fire on his head and in his eyes slowly died out. "Well, that could have gone better..."

"Sawada-sama!" yelled the silveret behind him. He was bowing deeply, apparently out of whatever daze had kept him quiet so far. Kyoya groaned and went to stand closer to the brunet and farther from the loud Herbivore. "Thank you so much for saving my life! Tell me what Famiglia you belong to and I will spend the rest of my life serving you!"

The other two boys were staring silently with wide eyes for a moment before Tsuna shook out of his stupor. "OK... First, Hayato, don't call me that, I don't really like my family name. We aren't in Japan and 'sama' is way too much. Secondly, you don't have to dedicate your life like that. I helped because I wanted to, and it was Kyoya who took them all out either way. Finally, I'm not really a part of any Famiglia. Or rather, my father is and I'm trying to avoid having anything to do with all that Mafia mess." The silveret raised teary eyes at him, though his head remained down. "W-Wait! I didn't say I don't want anything to do with _you_! In fact, I rather like you, I told you we're friends already!" Hayato's eyes lit up and Tsuna could only sigh. "It's just... I don't want my father's Famiglia to find me and having connexions with a Mafioso would make me more visible. And please raise your head Hayato".

Hayato obeyed, but a frown marred his face. "So that means that if I step out of the Mafia, I can serve Tsunayoshi-sam... hum, I mean Tsunayoshi-san?"

The brunet was still until he let out another resigned sigh. "At least shorten it to 'Tsuna'. I don't want someone to 'serve' me and I don't want you to quit whatever job you have to devote your life to me." Once again, Hayato looked devastated. "But I wouldn't mind you staying close to me as a friend." He finished with a small, but not less radiant smile. Kyoya huffed. The loud Herbivore was going to stay forever after a smile like that. Not that he was one to talk.

"Of course, Tsuna-san! I will follow you wherever you go! And I can quit being in the Mafia easily. My only contact is my mentor who doesn't mind whatever I do." The silveret was beaming. It was his first time making friend(s) (he wasn't sure the surly raven could be counted as a one, given his glare).

Tsuna was really happy to have made another friend. "I'm glad. Do you have a job you can do, or do you want to come and work with us? We have a jack-of-all-trades shop, and enough rooms to house you. And most requests don't end up like this one..." He added a little embarrassedly.

Hayato was hesitant. The offer was more than tempting : he had no house to return to and few would employ him with his delinquent looks and foul mouth. But he didn't want to intrude. "I don't want to be a bother..."

Tsuna interrupted him. "You won't be one, I swear. In fact, with all the jobs we are offered, another helping hand would be appreciated. So, do you want to? We're headed there either way to treat your wounds." To be honest, the boy had forgotten all about his injuries. He finally gave a small nod. "Great!" smiled the brunet. "I work with two other boys : first is Kyoya here." he pointed at the raven head a few feet ahead. "He's kinder than he looks deep down... Very deep down, but don't piss him off. You saw how strong he is. There is also Shoichi, who isn't here right now. He's extremely smart and likes to invent, but he's a little shy."

Tsuna continued happily blabbering about his friends and Hayato's new work place. He occasionally asked a few questions to the silveret, but quickly changed the subject when the boy hesitated and looked even slightly unwilling to answer. It was fine, they had all the time in the world to discover things about each other, and Tsuna didn't say everything either.

()()()()()()

Hayato was shocked to discover the shop Caeruleus. Given that it was run by children, aged from 10 to 13 (Kyoya had celebrated his birthday last month), he expected a run-down shack, not a well-kept, obviously thriving business. Tsuna-san had told him that they had many job offers, but that was a bit much.

He was introduced to Irie Shoichi, or rather Shoichi Irie in Italy. The red head had first gotten stomach aches over seeing his delinquent appearance (the seizures had gotten better, but Hayato's ragged and scowling looks were a bit too much). Then he panicked upon hearing about the recent incidents and almost fainted when Tsuna announced that the scary silveret was to stay and work with them. Really, you'd think Kyoya's constant presence would have dulled Shoichi's panic attacks, but to be honest, the raven wasn't all that threatening when you left him alone. Or rather, he never went out of his way to frighten you, while the grumpy delinquent he was facing looked like he was always looking for trouble.

But Hayato's obvious adoration of Tsuna reassured Shoichi a bit and they actually managed to talk. It was then that the three Japanese kids discovered that despite his looks, Hayato was actually very smart. Like very, _very_ smart if he managed to keep on with the inventor's explanation of his last concept. Tsuna and Kyoya didn't even bother trying.

The silveret was apparently also a great fan of what he called 'UMAs', which stands for Unidentified Mysterious Animal, and really, any para-scientific theory. It was amusing to see his scowling face turn enthusiastic when he started on the subject.

The day after he arrived and settled in (he had almost no belongings, it was short), Hayato asked for a disposable phone to call his mentor. He was sure the lazy man wouldn't try to track him, but he would take no chance. He had told Tsuna-san that he would quit the Mafia, so he would. To be honest, the 'conversation' was rather underwhelming. The answering phone was picked up at the very last second, Hayato said that he had 'found someone he would follow and so he quit the Mafia', Tsuna heard his interlocutor reply in a short, uninterested way, Hayato said 'goodbye' and he hung up. It barely took a minute.

Due to his smarts, Hayato was asked if he could handle administrative work. Handling a shop was a lot of paperwork, and neither Tsuna nor Shoichi were very comfortable with it, so it fell on Kyoya most of the time. The raven was doing a decent job, thanks to his experience with the Discipline Comity, but he was quickly getting fed up. Hayato asked for a week to study and learn, and once the time came, he efficiently dealt with administrative matters.

There were really only two big issues that arose when the silveret moved in. First, he kept clashing with Kyoya. Both disliked the other's behavior and it often ended in fights. Tsuna had to intervene before their house was destroyed by tonfas and dynamite (and who in their right mind would have willingly chosen _explosives_ as their main weapon?). Hayato was told that Kyoya was his leader's first and best friend and that if he truly couldn't get along with him, he would have to leave. It sobered the boy at once. Kyoya, on the other hand, was told to learn to tolerate his co-workers, even if they weren't friends ('yet' added Tsuna mentally, but he kept that for himself). Finally, any fight that still took place (Tsuna was an optimist, but he was had to be realist : they both had too strong a personality to cohabit entirely peacefully) was to happen in the basement's training rooms. Said rooms had thankfully been reinforced to put up with their destructive impulses.

The second issue was not nearly as bad as the first. The Japanese boys had decided to share all the chores, so they asked Hayato to do his part. He was decent with a vacuum cleaner and a duster (Shoichi was ecstatic : his other friends were still terrible at cleaning) and admitted having no experience in cooking, but offered to study it.

All seemed well, until the silveret decided to put his theoretical knowledge to the test. Turns out that unless you somehow had a recipe that involved cooking with dynamite sticks, Hayato was awful in the kitchen. His meals were always charred black and he almost blew up the whole house a few times. As such, he was not allowed to cook without someone to supervise him. Just like Tsuna and Kyoya with cleaning, they would persevere until the silveret could at least cook pasta safely. Hayato apologetically admitted that cooking had never been one of his family's forte.

Speaking of his family, about a month after he moved in (so in the middle of summer), the boy started telling his friends (Kyoya had finally been reluctantly counted as one after he saved him from an exploding saucepan) about his circumstances.

The three Japanese boys were bewildered to learn that Hayato had been separated from his mother, who was his father's mistress, at birth and that the half-Japanese woman could only teach him the piano without ever revealing her identity. Then she died when the boy was four and he only learnt the truth a year later, after overhearing it from servants. His father, a Mafia boss, had never paid him any attention until he showed his musical talents, and he was pretty much raised by his sister Bianchi. Now, Bianchi was caring, yes, but she also never realized that whatever she cooked turned toxic, and innocently continued feeding her brother her poisonous goods. Hayato didn't hate his sister, but now, seeing her face was enough to literally paralyze him and make him sick.

When he discovered a few years ago that his father was responsible for his mother's demise, he left the Famiglia. He had never been treated well there either way thanks to his bastard status and his mixed-blood. He was shortly taken in by one of his late mother's acquaintances : Shamal, a hitman and doctor. The man told him the basics of being a hitman before he left to work as a free-lancer and sought a Famiglia of his own.

The story was tragic, and the other boys felt compelled to tell their own.

Shoichi talked about his nice family and the way they always saw him as a full grown adult able to handle himself.

Kyoya explained in short sentences his duty to oversee Namimori and how he left it in the hands of a group he had formed himself. He talked about his distant, but still loving in their own way parents and how his mother had helped them come to Italy.

Tsuna talked about the way his mother and brother treated him. About his absent father (he didn't mention his actual job) and his bullies. He explained the circumstances that led to their departure for Italy without once saying a word about the Vongola.

But Hayato was intelligent and picked up the discrepancies in his story. "How come you absolutely had to leave Japan? Why do you do your best to stay hidden? And you said something about having a father in the Mafia when we first met..." The silveret didn't want to be pushy, but he also wanted to understand his friends, especially Tsuna-san.

The brunet hesitated a moment before answering. After all, Hayato knew more about the Underworld than Shoichi had. He would take it better. Probably.

"You see, When I was younger, I overheard my father talking with his boss. From there, I was able to gather that he was actually part of the Mafia. Kyoya filled me in on the rest after some research. Sawada Iemitsu is actually the head of CEDEF and the external advisor of Vongola." He could see that Hayato had paled. He understood what that meant. "But that idiot would rather delude himself and see his family as a fairytale one. He never believed me and would have brought me back forcefully and kept me there if I had tried to escape. After Ienobu had attempted to assassinate me for the first time" Kyoya growled, Shoichi closed his fists and Hayato's gaze sharpened ominously. Tsuna only smiled sadly. "I knew I had to disappear in a way he wouldn't find me. Kyoya and Shoichi were the best of friends ever and came with me despite the risks."

Hayato nodded, although his eyes remained dark. His Tsuna-san had almost been killed by his own twin. If he ever met the little piece of shit, he would blow him up painfully. He would not have another opportunity to harm his first friend. He was also reluctantly impressed by Kyoya and Shoichi. That amount of devotion to their friends was worth his grudging (and unspoken) respect. But the revelations also explained a few other details.

"Wait a minute... When we met, you both could use some weirdly colored fire and I've seen you summon it a few times since. I've heard some rumors that the Vongola and its allies had an ability like that. Even my moronic mentor mentioned it a few times. It's called 'Dying Will Flames', or 'Flames of the Sky' or something. I've never believed it to be true until then, but now... Is it the same thing?"

"Probably" answered the brunet. "Truth be told I've awakened that ability by accident and never showed it to Iemitsu. But I've heard him talk about a 'Sky Flame' once and it sounded similar to my power. I've also been the one to teach it to Kyoya, who got a purple 'Cloud' flame, and then to Shoichi, who has a yellow 'Sun' one. But all the information we have has been secretly gathered by Kyoya through the Hibari clan, so we still don't know a lot of things. Shoichi is currently studying them."

Hayato wanted to ask something but didn't dare. He barked a lot, but deep down he was very unsure of himself and felt unworthy of what he wanted. "Do... Do you think..." he trailed off, unable to finish his request.

"Do you want me to teach you how to use yours?" asked Tsuna. He could guess it was what the silveret wanted but didn't dare ask.

Hayato's eyes were shiny with hope. "If you don't mind..."

"Of course I don't mind, silly. We're friends, you should be able to at least ask what you want openly. And it's not like I've ever been told by Vongola that it's a secret, so I can teach it to whoever I want." he winked. He knew it was allegedly supposed to be one of the world's greatest secrets, but it was actually quite satisfying to cheat his father that way. And besides, he trusted Hayato enough to teach him and to know he wouldn't just show off with the ability and get him busted. "I think we've shared enough sob stories and secrets for the day. Might as well start now since we've got no job for the moment. And I'm curious as to what color your flame is."

()()()()()()

After a couple months of meditating, it turned out that Hayato had multiple flames. His main and most powerful one was a shimmering red that Tsuna remembered was called a 'Storm Flame'. He also had weaker Sun and Cloud flames, as well as a light blue 'Rain Flame' that looked like water ('finally another flame that has an understandable name besides the Sun one' exclaimed Tsuna. He still wasn't over the Sky Flame being _orange_ ) and a bright green one that looked more like electricity. 'Lightning Flame' had recalled Tsuna while glaring at the flame for not being the right color for its name.

Kyoya and Shoichi were curious as to the new flames' specificities. They had noticed that the Sun one tended to make nearby plants grow faster and the red head had theorized that its attribute was 'growth'. They knew that each flame had its special ability, but the one to tell them, Hibari Yukiko, had refused to say more. Apparently, it could be either too dangerous to use or she didn't trust them to use it sensibly. Not that it would prevent them from figuring it out on their own.

Kyoya had also noted that whenever he used his flames as the same time as the chains hidden in his tonfas (a trump card created by Shoichi that he rarely ever felt the need to use) the length of the chain seemed to change according to his will. Further experiences proved it to be true and Shoichi guessed that the Cloud Flame's attribute was something along the line of 'increase' or 'multiply'.

Tsuna's flame had no visible effect for a while, except that people felt at ease around it. There was also the fact that it could come out in the boy's eyes and forehead and put him in a strangely calm state of mind. Hence the speculations that the Sky Flame's attribute was 'serenity'. But then again, it was strange for a 'serene' flame to have such high destructive ability. Hayato supposed that maybe it was due to the brunet's control and the amount of flames he could summon (which was higher than the three others combined). That theory was accepted until Tsuna accidentally petrified one end of Kyoya's chain during a spar. That had nothing to do with his mastery of his Flame and didn't fit the 'serenity' part, so they were still puzzled about its attribute.

Hayato's three new flames led to a whole new batch of experiments. Unfortunately, the silveret had trouble maintaining his weaker flames out for too long, so most test were about the 'Storm Flame'. A single test was able to show that it was highly destructive, and all the following experiments said the same. So they theorized that its attribute was 'destruction'.

The little amount of time Hayato managed to keep his Rain Flame out was enough to lead to the discovery that it had a numbing effect. The following testing fight showed that it also slowed perception and would probably eventually lead to sleep if the silveret could summon it long enough. Its attribute was guessed to be 'calm' or maybe 'sleep'.

The green flame's attribute had been harder to theorize on. Hayato was having real trouble calling it to the surface longer than a handful of seconds and it greatly limited the possible experiments. Shoichi had tried to see if Lightning Flame actually had the same properties as electricity, but no experiment yielded positive results. It didn't have any obvious offensive ability outside of being a flame, as could be observed during the test spars with Kyoya. It was only when the raven got bored and decided to really try and attack the silveret that Hayato discovered that his arms had become tougher under the flame's influence. Thus the attribute was deemed to be 'strengthen' or 'protect'.

After weeks of tests ans experimentations, the only two flames that were still a mystery and whose attribute was still completely unknown were the 'Mist Flame' because the four children didn't know anyone who could summon said flame, and the Sky Flame, because they couldn't tell anything about it. They didn't know if it was passive, defensive or offensive because the brunet could use it any way. They didn't know if it was normal that he could call so much out because they had no other test subject. And they had no idea what its attribute might be because it seemed to have too large a range of applications (from focusing to petrifying and let's not forget soothing others).

The four spent days brainstorming to try and come up with any clear result regarding the Sky Flame.

Shoichi, Hayato and Kyoya finally concluded that it wasn't so much a problem with the Sky Flame itself, but rather an issue with the one summoning it. Tsuna had nothing that could contradict that theory and could only resort to pouting and grumbling non-intelligibly that they should not decide that without proof...


	11. That heralded lightning

Another Path Part 11 : That heralded lightning

 **So, since I love trolling people (actually, since I had this chapter written for over a month), no Mukuro this week.**

 **The age of the 'new' character is different from the manga, but I don't think it's much of a problem, and it should allow for more development in the future. I think. And there's more 'baby-talk'. Please be merciful if you decide to leave a review. Or better yet, give advice, please!**

 **Disclaimer : Once again, I don't own KHR. And I'm actually amazed at myself for remembering to write something so obvious before so many chapters.**

Things went well for the four boys. They had built a steady reputation and a good skill base, so they hardly ever had to direct customers to more competent companies anymore. Even the 'artistic' jobs could now mostly be handled thanks to Hayato. Who would have guessed he had a creative side?

It was now the end of November. The three Japanese boys had recently surprised the Italian bomber with his birthday. Sure, Hayato knew they celebrated the others', but he thought himself to be too new to their lives to have a party prepared for him.

He had been truly shocked to discover the piano wrapped in red paper waiting for him in the 'Office' (public living room where they welcomed customers) when he returned from his most recent job on the night of September the 14th. Tsuna, Shoichi and Kyoya had gathered their money to buy the expensive instrument. The silveret had been honestly touched, and went to play on his new gift. He was out of practice, but still remembered most of the lessons his mother had taught him. The music piece he performed was a bit clumsy and shaky, but it was still beautiful to his friends' ears. They could not have made him a better present.

Anyway, in the couple weeks that followed, Hayato had found time each day to practice and even started to teach Tsuna and Shoichi the basics, as well as a few customers who hired him as a music teacher. Kyoya had unsurprisingly declined the offer, but still sat in the corner of the room to hear them play.

()()()()()()

It was late at night when Tsuna was walking home. He had went to deliver the contracts he had translated to the client, and ended up staying longer than intended. The client had started talking about his work and he never found an excuse to take his leave. At least he had learnt a lot about legal contracts and how to exploit their flaws. Not that he planned to use that knowledge any time soon, but it was always good to know.

The sun had already set and it was freezing. The brunet had been prepared for low temperatures, but that was pushing it a bit. Wasn't it supposed to be warm in Italy?

He was blowing hot air on his hands in an attempt to warm them when he heard a voice from a narrow alley. A young, very young voice.

"Must... To-le-rate..." came the childish voice once Tsuna had come close enough to distinguish the words.

Sitting in the middle of the alley was a child, probably no older than 5, trying desperately and failing to hold back his tears. Tsuna's heart broke and he rushed to ask what was wrong.

The boy looked a tiny bit better now that someone was worrying about him. "Lam-Lambo-sama is... is absolutely no-not lost!" he answered in what was meant to be a proud tone between his sobs. At least, now Tsunayoshi knew what was wrong. The brunet also noted the unusual use of Japanese suffixes. Yet Lambo was definitely not a Japanese name and spoke in Italian. He'll ponder about that later.

"I see. Well, my name is Tsunayoshi Sawada, but you can call me Tsuna. And I would be delighted to escort Lambo-sama to his house if he could tell me the address." He smiled. No use in upsetting further the already upset kid and call him out on his obvious lie. And he wasn't about to let the afro-haired child alone and outside in such a cold night.

Normally, a child should refuse such an offer, but apparently, this one's parents had never told him not to trust strangers. Or he was too shaken to remember that piece of advice. Tsuna had only extended his hand that the boy latched onto it and his cries calmed down considerably.

Lambo had thankfully memorized the address of his house and Tsuna knew Naples well enough to figure out the way. It was quite far, especially with a child, so the brunet tried to speak to the boy to keep his mind occupied.

"So, Lambo, can I call you Lambo? How old are you to be alone at night?"

"Kyahaha!" Laughed the child. He had went over his fear and cries pretty fast. "As Lambo-sama's servant I will let you call me that. It's a great honor! And Lambo-sama is 5." He was more endearing than annoying in Tsuna's eyes. Due to his own experience, he could see that the kid was only trying to get attention, even if others saw him as obnoxious and arrogant. Tsuna could sympathize.

"Why do you use Japanese suffixes?" Inquired the brunet. He hadn't heard anyone speak his mother tongue in a while. They had decided when they reached Italy to avoid talking in Japanese, even when only together, to practice their Italian and blend in (thus their attempts to have Hayato drop the 'san' at the end of 'Tsuna'. But the silveret was stubborn in his marks of respect). They could pretend to be Italian people, born from Japanese parents that way. With his European looks, Tsunayoshi could even pretend to be Italian of far Japanese descent.

"My Nanny taught me her tongue before she left for the stars." Explained Lambo. His eyes were looking blindly ahead and Tsuna realized that he knew more than any 5-year old should. He was close to his Nanny, if his longing look was any indication, and he knew she was dead. What kind of parents did he have to be so lucid at an age where he should be carefree? And to have the reflex to hide his knowledge...

" _You must have been close to your Nanny._ " Continued the brunet in his mother tongue. He could see the little boy's eyes light up when he recognized something familiar. " _Did she teach you anything else?_ "

" _Yes!_ " Almost sang Lambo in Japanese as well, eager to flaunt his skills. It must have truly been a while since anyone paid him any attention. " _She told Lambo-sama all about defending himself. She was the one who stayed with Lambo-sama when Mama left for the stars first and Papa was too busy._ "

So his mother was dead and his father didn't take proper care of him, translated Tsuna.

Before any more questions could be asked, they were standing in front of the gates of Lambo's house. Well, manor would be more appropriate thought Tsuna. It was an old building, many times larger than he neighboring houses. And that was not counting the humongous garden.

There were men in suits standing guard before the gates. Not the friendly kind, but Lambo kept walking without hesitation. He was evidently used to them and them to him, since they didn't spare him a glance.

However, they sent threatening glares towards Tsunayoshi. _Mafiosi_ whispered his Intuition. That meant that Lambo was probably a part of the Mafia too, though the brunet desperately hoped that that was not the case. His traitorous Intuition told him that his hopes were not to be. Lambo had too much knowledge of death to have been spared.

How unfair.

A tugging on his arm brought Tsuna back to reality. Lambo was staring at him. "I have to go home, Tsuna-nii." He said in Italian again, with his eyes glued on the ground. The brunet's heart warmed at the nickname. "Will I see you again?"

Tsuna was guiltily glad that Lambo hadn't asked him to come in. He wouldn't have the heart to decline anything from the child, but didn't want to enter a Mafioso's lair. At least he could answer the last question honestly. "I'm sure we will meet again soon, Lambo. I can feel it." And it was true, his Hyper Intuition was positive. "We can play together next time."

The smile on Lambo's face was blinding. He turned around and ran giddily to the entrance. Tsuna left once the little boy was out of his sight.

He had information to find.

()()()()()()

Hayato and Shoichi had been worried when Tsuna had ran late. Hayato because of his devotion to his Boss -he didn't call him that out loud, but saw him as such-, and Shoichi because he was a constantly worried boy.

They were about to search the streets despite Kyoya's disapproving glares when Tsuna came back home. The Sky reassured them that he was alright before telling them about his encounter with Lambo. Hayato's face turned dark. He could sympathize with being born into a Famiglia better than any of the others.

When Tsuna asked if they agreed to secretly gathering information about Lambo's Famiglia, they nodded without hesitation. They already had the address, so it would be easy with the contacts Kyoya had made since their arrival. He had steadily built up a network of small-time criminals from the day they set foot in Italy. Apparently, delinquents of any country could look up to the raven.

On the evening of the next day, they had all the data about Lambo's Famiglia that they needed. It was called the Bovino and its Boss was Lambo's father. The Bovino was a rather small Famiglia, but was pretty well-known for their technological advance.

The Boss' wife had died when Lambo was only 3. His father had then neglected the boy and left him to be cared by a servant. The servant had passed away four months ago and Lambo was left to fend for himself. The other Bovino members didn't like the brat and tried their best to ignore him, which only amplified his obnoxious attitude.

The Bovino Don favored his nephew rather than his son for his succession. He let his right-hand man send Lambo on missions that he had no chance of managing. And scolded him for failing. Lambo must have been on one of said missions when Tsuna met him.

With that knowledge in mind, Tsuna vowed to do something for the boy when he met him again. And to ask Kyoya how a bunch of street thugs got their hands on such detailed information.

()()()()()()

November ended and December came. Tsuna was in charge of grocery shopping that day and was headed to the mall when he spotted a familiar afro and cow-suit.

Lambo was walking down the snowy street, alone once more. The brunet wasted no time to run towards him. "Hey, Lambo, how are you doing today?"

The 5-year-old started and turned to see his interlocutor while raising a hand to his hair in a gripping motion. Tsuna thought it strange, but didn't comment. And the hand lowered itself as soon as the boy recognized the brunet. "Tsuna-nii! It's Tsuna-nii!" He jumped into his arms. It was odd how fast Lambo had gotten attached.

"Yeah, it's me Lambo. What are you doing out here?"

"Oh, the meanie underling has sent Lambo-sama on a mission. And Lambo-sama always completes missions. But today he has decided to play with Tsuna-nii now that he is here." It was made to sound like an order, but Tsuna could hear the plea hidden behind it. He smiled.

"Of course, Lambo. I promised you last time didn't I? Just let me send a message to my friends and I'm free for the day." He was rewarded by a beaming grin.

The two spent the day playing in the park. Lambo was a very imaginative kid and Tsuna honestly had a lot of fun. He still couldn't help but notice that some of Lambo's games weren't as innocent as one would expect from a child. Like 'avoid-the-cop' which was a mix of catch and hide-and-seek. Or any game that involved throwing things at the other's face, especially when Lambo, who had used all his snowballs, started to throw pink grenades that he got out from his afro. Tsuna was quick to ask him to stop to prepare more appropriate ammo.

Tsuna bought them both sandwiches, hot chocolate and extra grape-candy for Lambo once the boy complained about hunger. They ate outside and the brunet used the occasion to learn more about his young companion's circumstances.

"So, Lambo. What exactly were you supposed to be doing today? I hope you won't get into trouble for playing the day off."

"The meanie underling" Tsuna guessed that it was the Bovino right-hand's nickname. "told Lambo-sama to assassinate an enemy of the Family. It is Lambo-sama's first hit!" There was equally pride and apprehension in those words. But he didn't hesitate even a second before answering his Nii-san.

Tsuna was furious. The Bovino had sent a 5-year old on a fucking _hit_! Even if Lambo had the skills to pull it off -which was dubious from what he had seen so far- you don't send a kid to murder someone! (You don't send anybody, normally, but that's beyond the point). And his Intuition was screaming that Lambo had not been expected to survive the mission. The child had been sent to his death!

His decision was made instantly. Lambo would not be left in the custody of those monsters. He forced a small smile to Lambo to appease him and took his phone out. He would need some back-up for this and luckily knew just the right people. A message was sent to his friends.

' _Kyoya, Shoichi, Hayato, I'm going to ask the Bovino to hand over the custody of Lambo to me. Those bastards sent him on a suicide assassination mission. Kyoya and Hayato, please meet me in front of the Bovino mansion. Shoichi, stay at home and handle today's business._ '

He received three positive answers in the next minute. They had never met Lambo, but they also couldn't leave a child to people like that in good conscience.

Tsuna turned to Lambo. "Lambo, how would you like to come live with me and my friends from now on?"

The child was flabbergast. "I would love it Tsuna-nii!" He replied with still too wide eyes. "But I'm not sure Boss would let me go like that." He sounded disappointed.

"Don't worry about that." reassured Tsuna. "Me and two of my friends are going to you house to convince him." He smiled encouragingly. At least Lambo didn't seem to have any objections to leaving his home. "But that means you won't be part of the Bovino anymore. Is that OK?"

The child pondered on it for a minute before nodding with a smile. "That's OK, Lambo-sama will be with Tsuna-nii and his friends, right?" The hope in his eyes was blinding. Lambo acted like an obnoxious brat to get attention, but he was cleverer than people gave him credit for.

"Right." answered Tsuna. He _was_ going to get his 'little brother' out of there.

()()()()()()

The rest was rather underwhelming. Kyoya and Hayato were waiting for them in front of the Bovino manor, completely ignoring the distrustful glares of the guards. When Tsuna and Lambo joined them, they got in without trouble and requested an meeting with the Boss. Apparently, he wasn't too busy and saw them immediately. The man was slightly overweight and and looked bored out of his mind (probably the reason he agreed to meeting a bunch of teenagers). His first lieutenant was behind him and looked the whole part of a 'meanie underling' to be honest. He was aggressive-looking and obeyed whatever order his Don could emit. Tsuna prayed that outsiders didn't have the same impression of Hayato, whose behavior towards Tsuna was borderline worshiping.

The discussion was over very fast. Tsuna declared that he wanted custody of Lambo and that he be removed from the Bovino's activities. The right-hand man sneered at Lambo's name and the Boss only raised a lazy eyebrow. He asked why they would want him and what group they belonged to.

Tsuna -who was the leader of the team at the great surprise of the Mafiosi (he looked very meek compared to his two scowling companions)- quickly denied being a part of any Famiglia and said that they were only orphans living together. A lie, but their true situation was too complicated and risky to explain. He added that they had become fond of Lambo and were willing to take him in as well. Kyoya and Hayato were silent the whole time, but contributed greatly to the intimidating factor of their group. Tsuna was a master of the 'puppy eyes' pleading, but was usually pretty bad at looking imposing. When he wasn't openly furious or trying to negotiate peacefully at least.

A few sentences later and they left, with a document stating that Tsunayoshi was now Lambo Bovino's legal guardian. Truthfully, the Bovino Don and Famiglia had been all too happy at being rid of the brat. Tsuna would have raged at them, but didn't want to endanger his custody of his new little brother.

Lambo was ecstatic. Sure, the two new brother he just met were a bit scary, but Tsuna-nii had told him that they were actually really nice once you got to know them. And the raven one had been nice enough to give him some candy (Tsuna had almost burst in laughter when he saw that. He was all too aware of his friend's hidden soft spot for small animals and knew that Lambo qualified as such in Hibari's mind. Even more so since the teenager had actually bought candy beforehand...). The silveret had looked aggressive during the meeting with his Papa, but when they were out of sight of the Bovino mansion, he turned into some kind of puppy dog in front of Tsuna-nii.

()()()()()()

The reached the Caeruleus shop after half and hour of Hayato and Lambo bickering. The silveret frowned upon the familiar attitude of the 'stupid-cow' with Tsuna-san, while the 5-year-old didn't like the 'Bakadera's' way of yelling at anyone within reach of Tsuna-nii. Said brunet only smiled happily the whole way and only intervened to prevent them from going too far (exploding the closest block). He figured that it was their way of getting closer to each other, and he wasn't exactly wrong, given Hayato and Kyoya's first meetings.

The newly dubbed 'Kyo-nii' stayed a few feet away from the ruckus and pretended not to hear, see or otherwise know the Herbivores arguing.

Once inside, Lambo was introduced to Shoichi, or now 'Sho-nii'. The red head was clumsy with children, but was inherently softer and kinder than the silveret or raven, so there was no problem. Lambo secretly noted that Sho-nii would most likely yield to any of his tantrums.

Lambo's introduction to Caeruleus went well. He had his own room, but often went to sleep with either of his Nii-sans. The four older children were always looking over him and showing him how to do things. Thanks to Shoichi and Hayato's tutelage, he knew how to clean properly faster than Tsuna and Kyoya (who still struggled with the vacuum cleaner). He also helped in the kitchen, but only simple, harmless tasks. And never alone with Hayato.

His Nii-sans also understood that his afro worked like some kind of dimensional pocket, and Shoichi wanted to study it, but Lambo refused to have any of his hair cut. So the mystery remained...

The biggest issue about his afro was that it mostly contained -pink- grenades and different other weapons. Tsuna banned the knifes and rifles, but allowed Lambo to keep his grenades on the condition that Hayato tampered them before and reduced drastically their damage. Lambo felt better with at least one weapon on him, and the grenades were deemed the less dangerous and most easily stopped. Kyoya and Hayato still made sure that the 5-year-old knew how to use them at least a little. Lambo might have been a 'Herbivore' or a 'stupid-cow', but neither boys wanted anything to happen to their little brother, so he should be able to defend himself well enough to have time to call for help. And the Bovino hardly taught him anything on how to fight or escape, besides throwing whatever was available at the opponent's face.

()()()()()()

It was Christmas' eve and Lambo was so excited he couldn't stay still. Hayato too, though it was slightly less obvious. The younger one had not spent many Christmas's at all, and the older one's last few Christmas's had been spent alone in the streets. They unconsciously expected a lot from this one.

Tsuna, Kyoya and Shoichi had discovered when they arrived in Italy that Christmas was a very important day in Europe, unlike in Japan. They hadn't prepared anything special before, but this year, they would celebrate properly. Gifts were bought, and Shoichi even brought home a Christmas tree and garlands to decorate it. Lambo had a blast and a now very colorful and chaotic tree stood proudly in the Office. It made the clients smile : it had obviously been done by an enthusiastic child.

Kyoya and Tsuna had been in charge of the meals. They were not sure they could pull off a traditional Italian feast, so they both prepared a large Japanese special meal. And no-one really minded as long as it was good.

The evening was very joyful, and Lambo had to be held back to make sure he didn't open the presents. Not that he minded, really. All his big brothers made sure he was comfortable, even Haya-nii, despite his grumbling. They all watched movies and played games.

The next morning, Lambo woke everyone up at 6 in the morning. They usually got up at 7, but let it slide with a light scolding this time. Especially after Kyoya and Shoichi noticed the way Hayato was eying the presents.

Said silveret had received a small chemistry kit from Shoichi for his explosives, a silver necklace from Tsuna and a modified taser that could be camouflaged as a lighter from Kyoya. Nobody asked where the raven got it. Lambo had made drawings for all his big brothers, and Hayato's represented him with dynamite in his hand, and what probably were puppy ears and a tail. The boy pretended to be offended, but still hung it in his room.

Shoichi got a new portable hard drive from Kyoya, carefully selected computer pieces from Hayato (who was the only one besides the inventor to know anything on the subject), a computer strategy game from Tsuna and a drawing of him, disguised as a mad scientist, manipulating jars that contained colorful and smoking liquids from Lambo.

Tsuna received a book teaching Dutch from Kyoya (Tsuna now knew Japanese, Italian, Chinese, French, Spanish, Russian, German and Hindi. It was becoming hard to find books to learn new ones) and new battle gloves that were his current size and could resist his Sky Flame better from Shoichi (who was working on creating an alloy that could conduct Flames perfectly, but with little success so far). Hayato got him a new set of pretty fountain pens and Lambo a drawing of him playing catch with the afro-haired boy in a park. It was immediately framed and hung in his room as well.

Kyoya got a traditional Japanese tea set from Tsuna, and imported tea from Hayato. The raven didn't like the local tea and his friends thought he would 'cheer up' -read as 'scowl less'- with some from his own country. Shoichi gave him a Flame resistant coat, since the one he liked to wear on his shoulders always ended up half burnt when he used his Cloud Flames, and Lambo's drawing was of him with his - _red, please don't tell me it is blood_ thought Tsuna and Shoichi- tonfas out and a predatory smirk on his lips - _yep, the red was definitely blood_. A few unconscious bodies - _not corpses!_ \- were strewn behind him.

Lambo got many plushes from Kyoya, especially a cow one that he adored on sight (strangely, all the plush animals were herbivores, remarked Shoichi). He loved cow-printed things so Hayato got him cow-printed duvet covers. Tsuna bought him a lot of movies for kids -that had been carefully selected by the brunet to not show too much violence or death-, and Shoichi gave him a big, brand new drawing set.

It was a peaceful day and they all got to try their new gifts. Which was a bit less peaceful in the case of the battle-oriented ones, but let us not think to much about the new damage inflicted on the house...


	12. That carried winds and whispers

Another Path Part 12 : That carried winds and whispers

 **Hi! Sorry for the lateness (is that really a word?). As usual, thanks for all the attention you people give to my little fanfic (who isn't so little anymore, 50000 words have been written faster than I expected).**

 **To KuroiOozora and MariaHikari : Lambo is 5, Tsuna, Hayato and Shoichi are 11 and Kyoya is 13. I changed Lambo's age, mostly because it will allow him to be slightly less obnoxious as the story continues and he grows up. That way, he could also be more involved.**

 **To lynnell246 : You're right, I haven't noticed how little dialog I've written so far. I'll try to change that, but only on the chapters I haven't written yet. Too lazy to entirely rework the others. So expect more talk from chapter 16 onwards. And many thanks for the pointers.**

 **Disclaimer : Guess who still doesn't own KHR?**

New year was over when Hibari's uncle finally came to them.

Tsuna was translating the newest book of a popular Chinese author in Italian in the Office when the bell of the door rang. He looked at the now opened door, but didn't see anybody. He was about to return to his work when a voice called him from right in front of him.

"Excuse me, is this the home of one Hibari Kyoya?"

The voice came from the floor. Or rather, it came from someone who stood _very_ close to the floor, realized Tsuna. When he lowered his gaze, he was met with two Asian young children. Well, one young child - _girl_ said his Intuition, because it was not very obvious- and an individual the size of a child but whose bearing and steady eyes were too mature for a kid. And who resembled his best friend a bit too much for it to be a coincidence. Once again, the brunet's Intuition whispered to him that the boy was not young at all and shouldn't be treated as such.

Tsuna had always trusted his feeling and wasn't about to start doubting it today, despite the weirdness of the situation. So he answered the not-baby like he would an adult. "Yes, he is, though he doesn't go by that family name for security purposes. I assume you are the uncle that was kind enough to act as an in-between for our messages to Japan?"

The not-baby was pleasantly surprised by the brunet's attitude. People usually treated him like a child because of his looks, and it was refreshing to be answered like an equal for once. "Correct, I am Fon, it's a pleasure to meet you. And this is my young apprentice, I-pin." The girl bowed. "I guess you are Sawada Tsunayoshi?" That was one safe assumption. The brunet looked like a clone of Vongola Primo with a different hair and eye color. "My sister Yukiko, Kyoya's mother, told me about you and your other friend, Irie Shoichi."

"I am, but you can call me Tsuna. Only Kyoya insists on saying 'Tsunayoshi'." They both smiled at that : they both knew or could guess how close Tsuna and Kyoya had to be to call each other by their first names, shortened or not. "He is away for a job right now, but should return by lunchtime. If you would stay until then..."

"I would be honored to." Replied Fon. "And you can call me just Fon as well. It is a first for my nephew to befriend anyone and I would love to hear more about you."

Tsuna nodded and gestured them to make themselves comfortable on one of the Office's multiple sofas. Fon was a charming person, with impeccable manners. He was very different from his gruff nephew, though they were obviously related. Despite their apparent age gap, their features were almost identical -if you omitted the good-natured smile on Fon's face.

As a good host, Tsuna offered drinks to his guests and started to talk with them. I-pin apparently had trouble understanding all the Italian words, so they spoke in Chinese. The Sky began by explaining how they had started Caeruleus. Fon was impressed that young boys could keep such a business running. Then Tsunayoshi recalled how they had met two other friends since coming to Italy, Hayato and Lambo, and stated that Kyoya got along relatively well.

It was at that moment that Lambo escaped Shoichi's attempt to teach him basic math in the private living room and barged into the Office.

"Gyahahah! Lambo-san" the boys had managed to at least stop him calling himself 'sama'. "is too great to do schoolwork! You will never..." He spotted I-pin. "Gah! What is that Tail-head!"

I-pin, who despite he lacking Italian, got the gist of it screamed as well. "Oh! Broccoli Monster!"

Things escalated pretty fast after that and soon, the two kids were chasing each other throughout the Office, knocking tables and chairs throughout the room in the process. Good thing they older kids had replaced any fragile or expensive furniture when Hayato came in.

Shoichi appeared in the Office and tried in vain to stop them. Fon and Tsuna just looked amusedly at the scene. They both considered Lambo's and I-pin's attitude as normal for children their age and saw no need to separate them, as long as the other didn't see anything wrong either. They probably both suffered from prolonged exposure to Hibari-madness if you asked Shoichi.

"Well" began Tsuna with a smile. "Now you've met Lambo, the black haired child, and Shoichi, his unfortunate current caretaker." He spoke to the frazzled inventor who sent him a disapproving look. "It's fine Shoichi. Lambo will return to his studies later. We can let him play with another child his age for now. The girl Lambo is chasing is I-pin, and this is her guardian, Fon. He is also Kyoya's uncle and is here to see how we are settled."

Shoichi didn't take the 'guardian's' appearance in as easily as Tsuna, but eventually followed his friend's example and bowed to the not-baby. "A pleasure to meet you. I'm Irie Shoichi. And this little terror is Lambo." The afro-haired boy chose that moment to throw a grenade to his 'playmate's' face.

"The pleasure is all mine. And don't worry about I-pin. She doesn't meet other children often, and is perfectly able to defend herself if need be." Fon added as I-pin threw the explosive right in Lambo's face. The explosion was small, thanks to Hayato tampering the grenades, and Lambo was only covered in soot. The two 5-year-olds resumed their chasing immediately. "It seems they are fraternizing."

The 'grown-ups' (which consisted in two very mature 11-year-olds and an actual adult in a baby's body if Tsuna's intuition was correct) kept talking over the ruckus until lunch. By that time, Fon had learnt of Gokudera Hayato (he already had heard of the genius Smoking Bomb Hayato, but didn't know that he had left the Mafia and was now a member of Caeruleus) and how they met and adopted Lambo. It gave him an idea, but he would need to check on the boys a bit longer before asking.

Hayato returned home from his music teaching first and was introduced to Fon. He had heard rumors about the Arcobaleno, the strongest babies, but never paid much mind to them. Never had he expected to meet one of them and learn that he was Kyoya's uncle. What a crazy family...

But before the silveret could inquire about the sanity of the other Hibari members, Kyoya entered the Office and stopped to stare at Fon. "Carnivore Baby." He greeted with a scowl. He never liked to see his uncle because he disliked the idea of encountering someone stronger than himself. He respected Fon for his strength, but that was it. Kyoya was also aware of his uncle's ties with the Triads and reproved them.

"Kyoya." Answered Fon with a serene smile. "It has been a while. You have grown well. You have probably heard about my apprentice I-pin." The Cloud nodded wordlessly. "Tsuna was kind enough to offer us to stay here for lunch."

The raven only nodded once more and headed for the kitchen. It was his turn to cook today. Tsuna hurriedly offered to give him a hand, seeing as there were more people than usual.

Fon, Shoichi, Hayato, Lambo and I-pin went to the dinning room to discuss -or mock-fight- further. Tsuna started a private conversation with his best friend. "You don't seem to like your uncle very much." stated the brunet as he was cooking the rice.

Kyoya stayed silent so long that Tsuna thought he wouldn't answer. "The Carnivore Baby works as a hired hitman for the Triads. I don't like their way of doing things. And my uncle is stronger than he looks." He never raised his eyes from his hands and kept cooking.

"I heard. Hayato said something about the strongest babies or something. And my own Intuition is telling me that Fon is dangerous, but won't attack unless provoked. And that he is not a baby at all. Do you know something about that?"

"Not much." Was Kyoya's blunt answer. "I heard he was cursed to remain a baby. Something to do with that odd pacifier." Tsuna nodded thoughtfully. That pacifier gave him weird vibes. "I never asked more. You should see with the Carnivore Baby himself."

"I will ask." They both remained silent until lunch was almost cooked. "You should not be so aggressive around Fon, you know. He seems truly concerned about your well-being. And he was nice enough to agree to be an intermediate for our communications with Namimori."

Kyoya gave a rare sigh, but nodded reluctantly. He knew his uncle only came because he was concerned, bhe raven boy felt ill-at-ease with another Carnivore in his territory. Tsuna understood that and added. "I don't think he will try anything funny if that's what you're worried about. He'll just check our business and be on his way." Kyoya relaxed a bit. He couldn't defeat Fon if he tried anything, and he knew it. But if Tsuna said that nothing would happen, he would trust him. The brunet never said anything he didn't mean, a trait Kyoya valued greatly in people...

Although Tsuna hadn't said everything. He was really convinced that the Chinese baby wouldn't harm them, but he had also caught his eyes setting onto his apprentice in a thoughtful way. He was planning something. Tsuna had the best people-reading ability of Caeruleus -not a great feat when all his comrades were socially awkward in their own ways- and coupled with his Hyper Intuition, he was almost never mistaken in his assessments. Fon would ask them something related to I-pin at one point.

They both headed to the dining room with the food in their hands. Kyoya did his best not to be overly rude during the meal -which means he scowled in silence and didn't attack anyone, it was harder than it looked. Fon politely praised the food and I-pin ate her share while exchanging jibs with Lambo. Shoichi was analyzing the situation warily while Hayato was still in awe at meeting one of the famous Arcobaleno.

After some time and effort, Tsuna managed to bring those two into a conversation with Fon (I-pin and Lambo were still bantering in the back). Hayato was valiantly trying to overcome his shock. "I still can't believe that you're the 'Eye of the Storm' Fon... and that you're related to Biting-Guy here!"

Kyoya grunted but remained silent. It seemed to amuse Fon further if his smile was any indication. He was, however, surprised to hear his nickname. "I didn't expect to hear that name here..."

"You're kidding!" Hayato was in full 'fanboy mode'. "You're famous in the criminal world! You're a frigging Arcobaleno! Of course I've heard of you!"

That last title made Tsuna's Intuition ring. It was important. "Arcobaleno?"

Fon's smile waned a little, but he answered nonetheless. "It is the name of the supposed seven strongest individuals. Though we are eight actually." He pondered a bit before adding. "As you've probably guessed, I am not an actual infant. I, along with the other Arcobaleno, were cursed into that form. The proof of that curse is this pacifier." He gestured towards the red orb around his neck. "We all have one and are unable to remove it."

A heavy silence fell in the room. Fon usually wouldn't have revealed that; even Kyoya, his nephew, had this truth hidden from him (not that he looked deeper by himself anyways). But the members of Caeruleus all treated him like an adult, and it was a welcome change. Tsunayoshi especially, looked understanding and really interested by his circumstances. Despite his usual secrecy, he wanted to trust those children with the truth.

After a while, Shoichi spoke up. "It must be hard. To be a grown-up and always be seen like a baby. Sorry for believing you were one."

Hayato and Tsunayoshi were also about to apologize before Fon interrupted them. "Don't apologize, you all treated me much better than most. I rarely enjoy people's company since the curse, and your welcome was very appreciated."

The following minutes were made of awkward talking, before conversations turned lively and spontaneous again. By the end of the meal, Fon was offered to stay a few days to see the workings of Caeruleus and report to his sister and brother-in-law.

()()()()()()

Fon was very impressed by the children's business. During the week he stayed with his nephew (in his own room, while I-pin had her own. One of the perks of having a house with eight bedrooms), he saw all the clients, old and new, that hired Caeruleus.

Between Kyoya, Tsuna, Shoichi and Hayato (and Lambo, of course though he never worked alone and mostly followed his Nii-sans), they could handle most of the jobs and only rarely needed to direct patrons to specialized companies for free.

The boys could also manage the administrative and money related issues smoothly. Apart from them being underage, there was no legal problem that Fon could spot.

And their private interactions were also of great interest to the martial artist. It was fascinating how five kids of such different personalities, backgrounds and age could live and work together so easily. Well, 'easily' might not be the most accurate description, it was more of an odd kind of harmony, where each of them had a personal place and knew the other's boundaries as well. They could bicker with each other and even start violent fights, but they never overstepped the limits.

As soon as the first day he was introduced, Fon suspected that this harmonious equilibrium stemmed from Tsunayoshi. If the boy was indeed of Vongola blood -and with a face like that, of course he was- it was likely he had Sky Flames. The real question was if they were active of not.

Hibari Yukiko had refrained from informing her brother about the children's ability to summon Flames. She trusted Fon, but the fewer people aware of that, the better. And they would tell the Chinese baby if they decided he could be told.

Kyoya, for all that he avoided standing too close to others, always moved to keep the brunet into his sights while a 'threat' -Fon- was around. Shoichi had a nervous nature, but his stomach aches seemed to lessen when the boy was nearby and addressing the issue. Hayato was almost worshiping him and Lambo saw him as an older brother (the other boys were also his older brothers, but he was evidently closer to the brunet).

All of them revolved around Tsunayoshi, and probably wouldn't have met or cohabited with each other if not for him. To be honest, Fon himself felt pulled into the boy's pace. He was always willing to listen to your troubles, to give you a hand to solve them and seemed to truly be glad when you yourself were happy.

I-pin too had warmed up quickly to the brunet.

She was always seen with Lambo, and as such was pulled along the child when he demanded that his Tsuna-nii played with him. Tsunayoshi never turned him down if he had no job to complete and ended up spending a lot of time playing with the afro-haired boy and the Chinese girl. He also treated I-pin like a girl despite her misleading appearance and was quick to remind that fact to Lambo when he stepped out of line. A boy had to be respectful of girls (which meant not calling them 'Tail-head' if they didn't start calling you 'Broccoli Monster' first).

I-pin had even began calling him 'Tsuna-nii', like Lambo. It certainly comforted Fon in his decision of asking his nephew and his friends for a favor. A big favor, but he had little doubts that they would accept.

Another shock had been Kyoya's behavior towards his co-workers. His friends, as Tsuna called them, and the raven had not denied it. He still refused to be bothered by 'herbivorous' matters, but was much more lenient with the other boys.

The infamous 'demon of Namimori' actually gave a hand to Shoichi when he requested help transporting his newest scientific device (Fon had no idea what that machine did, but was suitably impressed by the research conducted by the red-head). He fought with the silveret on a daily basis, but it never exceeded a friendly spar (or what was a spar for Kyoya : violent, but not filled with the intent to kill). He even offered candy to Lambo and I-pin when they were upset about not finding one of Lambo's plushes (Fon knew of his nephew's kindness towards small animals, but it was a first for him to see it directed on to another _human_ being).

Actually, he was even more shocked to learn that Kyoya was willing to _teach_ others how to fight. He hadn't believed it when Tsunayoshi had told him that the raven had been his teacher for years, had shown a few tricks to Shoichi and had recently started coaching Hayato and Lambo -or in the latter's case, showing him how to safely use his grenades and avoid lethal attacks.

Curiosity had led to Fon requesting to witness the lessons.

Tsuna, for all that he was small and seemingly frail, was actually a pretty good fighter. He hit with his fists (which amused Fon more than it should have. The boy was really too similar to his distant ancestor) and was very quick on his feet. Kyoya was still vastly stronger -his nephew had monstrous battle abilities-, but the brunet could hold his own against him. Fon offered his expertise and corrected a few of Tsuna's movements. The boy caught onto them immediately and changed his posture slightly at each of the baby's inputs.

After an hour of sparing, both children paused. That was usually the point where they started training with their Flames. But there was an outsider watching and they weren't sure they could show their ability to the martial artist.

"It's your decision, you were the starting point." Declared Kyoya. After all, the Omnivore was the one to first summon his Flames and to teach the raven, Shoichi and Hayato. Tsunayoshi was a bit more reluctant to teach Lambo, who was still too young to be fighting and to immature to use them reasonably.

The brunet pondered for a minute before turning towards Fon. Their short time of knowing each other had shown that the martial artist was trustworthy. "We usually start a different kind of training at that point, but it's kind of a secret. You're welcome to stay if you first swear never to tell anyone about it, though Mrs Hibari knows a bit about it."

Fon was startled, but swore nonetheless. He was even more shocked when the two boys stepped back and started their spar anew, this time, with colorful flames bursting out of their gloves and tonfas.

It seemed that Tsunayoshi's flames _were_ active after all.

This time, the brunet got the upper hand in the fight. He was still less talented than Kyoya in raw battle ability, but had an overwhelming amount of Sky Flames to cancel that weakness out. The raven's Cloud Flame fought valiantly to stop the advance of its orange counterpart, but eventually gave up.

Tsuna had its gloved right hand just under Kyoya's chin.

They stopped their training at that point and the brunet turned to face Fon. "I think you already know what those Flames are, don't you?"

The baby nodded before he found his voice back. "Yes, a few individuals, myself included, can use them in the Triads, though it is mostly a power used by the Italian Mafia. But I'm curious as to how two boys are able to summon them when most need years of training or special items to awaken them." Like the infamous Dying Will Bullet.

Tsuna smiled sheepishly. "I awakened them by accident when I was four. I started practicing on my own. Kyoya found out and, um... _asked_ that I teach him. Shoichi was told after we became friends and I taught him too, though he's not as proficient. It was pretty much the same with Hayato. Lambo doesn't know about it, he's still too young in my opinion."

That was very impressive. It those skills and mastery could be so easily self-taught, the world would be rampant with pyromaniacs lighting colored fires left and right. Fon suspected that the brunet's Vongola blood was the main reason for this prowess. It first led to the boy calling his Sky Flames, and his Intuition (which he definitely had quite strongly, judging by his initial reaction to Fon) took over the rest. Showing him how to train his ability and how to teach it to his friends.

The next thought that crossed Fon's mind was how destructive his already violent nephew could now be with the powerful Cloud Flames he commanded. It was an idea he refused to consider more at length...

"I see." Answered Fon after he had cut off his unwanted trail of thoughts. "What exactly do you know about those Flames? It could be dangerous to wield them while being unaware of their true power."

"Well," Continued Tsunayoshi. "The first piece of information I got was from a man named Iemitsu. I overheard him when I wasn't supposed to, so I couldn't ask more questions. He said something about Sky Flames in Italian, and it corresponded with my ability." Iemitsu was obviously the current leader of CEDEF, and he had just cemented Fon's opinion of him as an idiot, an opinion shared by Tsunayoshi if the brunet's face was any indication. But Fon didn't ask what their relationship was, both because it was obvious to him, and because Tsunayoshi didn't seem inclined to talk about that. "Kyoya did a bit of research afterwards, and we found that the flames were called 'Dying Will Flames', or 'Flames of the Sky'. Yukiko-san told us the flames' names according to their colors -I know I have Sky, Kyoya has Cloud, Shoichi has Sun and Hayato has mostly Storm, but also a bit of Cloud, Sun, Rain and Lightning. She also said that each type has its own characteristic, but refused to tell us more.

We did some experiments, and came up with theories about those characteristics on our own, for all but the Sky and Mist Flames. We've linked Cloud with 'increase' or 'multiply'; Sun with 'growth', Storm with 'destruction', Rain with 'calm' or maybe 'sleep', and Lightning with 'strengthen' or 'defense'."

"You didn't find anything about the Sky Flame?" inquired Fon. It was surprising, seeing the amount they had at their disposal.

Kyoya snorted amusedly and Tsuna looked embarrassed. "I has a bit too many applications for us to pinpoint one specificity. Like how it can calm the people around me, but also be very destructive if I want it to. And there even was the time it burst from my forehead and I felt oddly serene." Hyper Dying Will, thought Fon with wide eyes. That was even more unexpected, but then again, the brunet's Vongola legacy seemed to be very strong. "So all our tests were inconclusive. Those traitors even said it was because _I_ was the weird one." The boy looked to be pouting. "And I'm still wondering why the _Sky_ Flame is _orange_! It's like two opposing colors!"

Fon smiled. Despite their maturity, those boys still had some childishness left, and it was for the best. They had already been forced to grow too fast, let them enjoy at least a bit of their innocent childhood. "I might be able to provide some explanations." He offered. Tsunayoshi's face lit up and Kyoya's eyes shone with hiden interest. "You should call the others who know about Dying Will Flames as well."

The brunet nodded enthusiastically and ran towards the stairs to bring Hayato and Shoichi down in the training rooms. The two intellectuals of the group would be delighted to have a source of information!


	13. That got answers

Another Path Part 13 : That got answers

 **Hi, here's this week's chapter. Not much going on, but I felt the need to explain a few things, so that took some place. I might also have been stalling to avoid writing the next chapter, since I have trouble writing the 'new' character...**

 **Thanks once more to all those that followed, favorite-d and that took the time to review. Each and every message makes me smile when I read it. You have no idea how good it feels to see people appreciate your work.**

 **: Sorry, but I don't think I'll do that : Tsuna won't meet Reborn before a long while, and I don't plan for him to meet the Arcobaleno as such, but rather individually, which would be hard if I tackle the problem of the curse.**

 **To the Guest who reviewed many chapters at once (I assume it's one person due to the timing, sorry if that's not the case) : their identity cards and passports have a fake family name and fake ages. But since they refer to each other by their names, it would have been unpractical to change that, so those are the same. Besides, most adults call children by their given name, so they have no reason to know, or at least remember the kids' surnames, real or fake, so there's not much risk there.**

 **Disclaimer : I am sad to say that I still don't own KHR.**

Shoichi and Hayato rushed to the training room as soon as Tsuna told them that Fon could answer some of their questions. Those two had been the most involved in the Flame research -which basically meant they experimented while Tsuna and Kyoya were test only subjects- and any new lead was more than welcome.

Tsuna checked that the two youngest were still safely busy -which meant no grenades, knives or gyoza buns were involved- before he returned to the basement as well. Lambo was still unaware of the existence of Flames, and I-pin's knowledge of them depended on what Fon wanted her to know. Tsuna wouldn't meddle.

He followed his two intellectual friends' example and sat on the floor in front of the Chinese infant. Kyoya was standing against a wall behind them.

"As you probably already know," Began Fon as if he was a professor. He seemed to enjoy teaching others, maybe that was why he took I-pin in, mused Tsuna. "Dying Will Flames are a manifestation of one's will. The stronger the will, the more powerful the Flames." Hayato was taking notes frantically while Shoichi listened intently. It felt like they would have a test later on. "There are seven different types of Flames, that can be easily identified by their color. Usually an individual only possesses a single type, but there are instances where people have multiple types. As I understood, it is your case Hayato."

The silveret raised his head long enough to give a silent nod, before returning to his notepad. Fon was obviously amused by his assiduity. "Each type also has a specific side ability, which is mostly used for battle, as the Mafia is the main user of Dying Will Flames -and jealously keeps them secret.

From the most common to the rarest type, there are the Lightning Flames, which resembles green electricity. Its characteristic is actually 'hardening', so you were very close with your theories. In fact, most of your hypothesizes were fairly accurate. Lightning users are usually on the front lines and direct attacks away from their comrades, though there are some exceptions." Verde, for instance, would never even think of shielding his fellow Arcobaleno...

"Then, there are Storm Flames, like mine" He demonstrated by lighting a small flame in his hand. "And apparently Hayato's main one. It is red and the most violent type. Its specificity is 'disintegration', and is used almost solely to cause damage.

Next is the Sun Flame, a yellow flame that looks sparkling. I was told it is Shoichi's type. Its characteristic is 'activation', and is mostly used as support. Like healing injuries. It is not a Flame very often used in battle, although I know from experience that being a Sun Flame user doesn't mean you're inept in a fight." In fact, the strongest man alive was a Sun, but Fon didn't want to scare the boys with stories of Reborn.

"The fourth most common type is Rain. It appears more like water than fire and is light blue. Its specialty is 'tranquility', and has numbing effects. Once again, it is not often used directly in battle, but is very useful when taking prisoners or even just immobilizing an opponent.

Then, there are the rarer Flame types, the first being the Mist. It looks like indigo fog and has the characteristic of 'construction'. Its users are mostly versed in the art of illusions and deceit." Viper _was_ the most powerful illusionist, even if you didn't count her esper powers.

"Cloud Flames are even more unusual. It is purple and hold the characteristic of 'propagation'. It is mostly used to attack, but to be honest, that may be due to its users. Most of them tend to be quite violent." All eyes turned to Kyoya who scowled against his wall. Nothing they could say against that. "But then again, there are meeker Clouds too." Skull wasn't exactly meek, but it would be a stretch to call him 'violent' when he was always bossed around by his fellow Arcobaleno.

"Finally, the rarest of all types by a large margin is the Sky Flame. It is orange and its characteristic is 'harmony'." That earned him four doubtful stares. "I should explain. Sky users tend to attract other types, and keep a group of different people with opposing personalities together and relatively coherent. To be honest, I think this is taking place in your group as well. At the very least, I know Kyoya well enough to tell that he wouldn't stay and live with other people unless something was pushing him to."

The raven boy looked like he was about to protest the idea of him being influenced against his will before Fon stopped him. "I didn't say it was manipulating you or forcing you to act against your will. Just that a Sky Flame user usually unconsciously keeps groups harmonized. You're always free to act as you wish to and even leave if you want." That was a bit of a lie. Especially strong Skies could harmonize with other Elements they were compatible with so strongly that said Elements didn't even _want_ to leave their side. From what Fon had seen of Tsuna's Flame and influence and his nephew's behavior so far, he was almost sure that the brunet was one of those Skies.

But he didn't want to alienate the two boys against each other for something they could do nothing about and wasn't harmful, so he kept that detail for himself. He also purposefully failed to mention that he himself felt the pull of Tsuna's Sky. Kyoya was sufficiently on edge around him...

"The harmony characteristic does indeed soothe the people around the user -as long as they are recognized as friendly- and can be used offensively as well. It can force matter to 'harmonize' with its surroundings, and transform it into the same matter. In here, for instance, it would most likely turn into stone, since that's the main component of the walls." True, Shoichi had the training rooms reinforced with stone to lessen the destruction. It was harder when you slammed into them, but much less painful for the wallet.

"What about the bursts of flames that Tsuna does?" Inquired Shoichi. "And for that matter, the times when his eyes turn orange and a flame appears on his forehead? That never happened to any of us."

Fon smiled at the pertinent question. It was always a pleasure to teach committed students. "I believe that that the burst of flames are due to Tsunayoshi's very high amount of flames. Most Sky users don't have nearly as much." The brunet received glances that seemed to say ' _See, just like we told you_ ' and pouted slightly. "As for the second part... Tsunayoshi, it is just a guess, but was the time you had Flames on your forehead and in your eyes the same time you said you felt abnormally calm and composed?"

The boy looked surprised at the question, but nodded nonetheless. Fon continued. "Also, this might be a bit intrusive of me, but I assume you are actually related to Sawada Iemitsu and that you have a good intuition? My sister only said that your father worked for the Vongola Famiglia."

Tsuna had frozen when his father's name was said and looked all but pleased. But he still wanted answers, so he obliged. "Yes." He said in a cold tone that surprised Fon. Thankfully, the martial artist didn't comment. "That man is my father, and I have what Yukiko-san called 'Hyper Intuition', but what does it have to do with anything?"

"Well, you see, you father -and you as well, obviously- come from a specific bloodline of Vongola. I won't elaborate, since it is Mafia matters and you said you didn't want to be involved, but that bloodline was fairly famous for allowing access to two states. The Dying Will Mode and the Hyper Dying Will mode." Hayato was frantically taking notes (it was about his Tsuna-san, after all) and Shoichi looked fascinated while Kyoya snickered at the name. The Sky sported a guarded look : he didn't like anything related to his Mafioso of a father.

"Yes, I know the names sound quite silly." Admitted Fon with half a smile. But he quickly returned to his serious appearance. That was a grave topic that anyone outside of the Vongola sphere of influence shouldn't know about. The infant only heard about it thanks to Reborn and his affiliation with the Famiglia. "But you shouldn't underestimate those states. The first one removes all external limiters of the body, allowing for increased strength and agility. It also focuses the mind so much that you can only think of one objective and nothing else. For that very reason, it is dangerous for the user and hardly ever relied upon if you have the choice.

The other state, which is harder to achieve, removes the internal limiters. You can think more clearly and logically, distance yourself from your emotions. It also increases you physical ability.

Both modes are characterized by a Flame appearing on your forehead and for some people, flaming eyes. They are almost exclusive to your bloodline, Tsunayoshi, but I heard some rare individuals can access those states as well with the help of special pills. But they need years of training before that, and a specific mindset. And no, Kyoya, I don't think you can achieve those modes. And it is too dangerous to try it without testing your suitability beforehand." Fon added quickly when he saw the glint in his nephew's eye. Thankfully, the boy seemed to understand and let the matter go. He respected the baby Carnivore's experience enough to trust him on battle-related topics.

"Anyway, I think that the state you were in, Tsunayoshi, was the Hyper Dying Will Mode. It matches all the descriptions. Although I am surprised you achieved it so young and without going through Dying Will Mode first."

The boy just smiled shyly and said nothing. At least that problem was explained.

"I don't know much more about the Flames of the Sky. I mostly focus on their practical uses and know only the bare minimum of their scientific theories. The only thing I can add is that most Flame users prefer to use a catalyst to invoke their Flames. It purifies them a little and makes it easier to summon them. Vongola notably uses special rings, and all the Arcobaleno have our pacifiers, though some never use it since it reminds them of the curse."

Silence fell on the training rooms, and no-one broke it. Fon had nothing to add, Shoichi and Hayato were pondering their recent discoveries, Tsuna was still a bit pissed at the allusion to his father and Kyoya just didn't like to talk for nothing.

Until an obnoxious laugh resounded around the walls. "Kyahaha! Lambo-san heard everything! And Lambo-san is going to master that power and rule all Italia!"

"Shhh! Broccoli Monster made I-pin discovered. I-pin not supposed be here."

The four older boys and the not-infant turned to see Lambo and I-pin sticking their heads out of the door leading to the stairs. They had been so engrossed in the explanation that they hadn't noticed the two children sneaking in.

"What did you hear exactly, Lambo?" asked Tsuna a bit fearfully. He knew that if the boy asked, he wouldn't be able to refuse to teach him the Flames. He wanted to make Lambo feel that he belonged with them, and excluding him from their Flame training would have the opposite effect. And he could hardly protest to his face that the afro-haired child was too young when he was already a year older than Tsuna when he discovered his ability.

"Since Tail-Head's master told the types of fires. And I want to learn it too, if Tsuna-nii and the others can do it!" There it was. The Sky shared a glance with the others in the room before sighing.

"Alright, Lambo. I will teach you, but you must promise not to use it when none of us is present and in front of strangers. Unless it is to defend yourself."

The cow-child nodded frantically with a beaming expression. He loved doing things with his big brothers. The girl at his side chose that moment to speak. "Master teach I-pin also?"

"Yes, I-pin, I believe I will. I hadn't intended to tell you about it for a few years, but now that you already know... And it would be unfair to keep you alone in the dark when your playmate is getting lessons." Answered Fon with an even voice. His plans just got changed, but it was not a big deal. He trusted his apprentice not to use her ability rashly.

()()()()()()

Fon and I-pin stayed a month. During that time, both the younger children managed to summon their flames for the first time, thanks to the cursed infant and Tsuna's patient lessons.

The first to awaken his flames was Lambo. Although it was not during one of his lessons. He was playing catch with I-pin when he fell hard on the ground. He started crying and tendrils of green electricity surged from his body. A couple weeks later, and he could summon a small amount of Lightning Flames almost at will.

His friend took the more conventional path and first called upon her Flames as she was meditating with her Master, a week after Lambo. Like Fon, she had red Storm Flames. She had more trouble summoning her ability when she wanted than Lambo but her vastly superior martial skills still allowed her to beat him to the ground when he started a fight. Or just when he pulled her braid.

Fon had gotten used to participating in the spars of the older children. Either as a referee, a teacher or even a contestant a few times. Kyoya especially enjoyed fighting against him and trying to smash his head with his tonfas. Unfortunately for the raven, his uncle was still much stronger than him and he didn't touch him even once. You didn't earn the title of 'world's greatest martial artist' without skills. Still, it made for great practice.

He taught Tsunayoshi a few moves, more refined than what his nephew had shown him. Kyoya was a great fighter, but he tended to rely mostly on brute force. His technique was good, the problem was that he rarely needed to use it, so it was a bit rough. The brunet's style required a bit more finesse -at least when he wasn't just throwing his flames all over the battlefield, something which would work against most enemies to be honest. So Fon took it upon himself to demonstrate a few moves that would fit the boy's fighting style. Tsunayoshi liked to rely on his speed and launch precise hits, something that Fon could help improve.

The infant even had the opportunity to see the boy go briefly into Hyper Dying Will Mode a few time, during spars. He had been able to access it from time to time since it manifested itself the first time, when he had saved Hayato, when he concentrated hard enough.

After observing the characteristic burning forehead and glowing eyes -those calm orange orbs were truly mesmerizing- Fon confirmed that this indeed was the famed Hyper Dying Will Mode. It was still a mystery how the boy had simply bypassed the standard Dying Will Mode, but the martial artist supposed it was for the best. The first state had to be carefully monitored to keep the user safe. You would be so focused on one goal in that mode that you wouldn't even notice someone attacking you.

Caeruleus kept receiving jobs and life went on peacefully. The cursed baby found himself actually enjoying this rare time of peace.

()()()()()()

About a month after first entering Caeruleus, Fon decided that it was finally time to leave. He had seen all that he needed to report to his younger sister, and even more. He could set her worries at ease.

But before taking his leave, he had a request.

All the older members of Caeruleus were gathered in the Office to say goodbye (Kyoya was waiting silently in a corner) and Lambo was chasing I-pin as a final farewell in the bedrooms when Fon spoke up. "Actually, there is something that I would like you to do."

 _Here it comes_ thought Tsuna. He had expected the infant to ask for weeks now, and had a fairly good idea what his request was.

"I would like you to allow I-pin to stay with you. If she keeps following me as my apprentice, she will eventually be forced to work as an assassin for the Triads. She doesn't deserve that. Her parents were killed by Triad members for refusing to pay them a 'protection fee'. I-pin was brought to obtain an equivalent of payment. I stumbled across her and claimed her as my apprentice to buy her some time before she fully enters the life of an assassin, but it is only a temporary measure.

She likes living here very much and it would spare her a life of struggling in the darkness. Please take her in." Fon bowed deeply. He was very attached to the girl and couldn't bear to see her fall into the twisted criminal world he lived in.

"Don't bow. It is unbecoming of a Carnivore." Scolded Kyoya from his corner. Fon was surprised he was the first to react. It seems they had gotten closer during this month of forced proximity.

"He's right." Added Tsunayoshi. "You don't have to bow to us, especially for something like that. We would love to keep I-pin with us, she's already like a little sister. But you have to promise to visit every now and then. She is going to miss you, you know."

"Yeah" Continued the shy Shoichi. "I-pin is a very nice girl, there is no problem with her staying here, if she's OK with that."

"If we can manage the stupid cow, we won't have a problem dealing with that girl." Finished Hayato with a huff. He considered Lambo like a little brother, but liked to call him with mean nicknames. Lambo always responded in kind, so the others figured it was their unique way of communicating and didn't think anymore of it.

"Thank you very much, I am in your debt." Said Fon as he raised his head. "I should announce the news to her right now. I shall have the rest of her belongings sent here as soon as possible. It is mostly clothes and a few personal items, but she might want to retrieve them."

"You're just going to ask the Triads to let her go?" questioned the red-head. It didn't seem so easy.

"Yes, my position as the Storm Arcobaleno grants me a few privileges. I-pin hasn't started hits yet and doesn't knows any dangerous pieces of informations. They probably won't fight too hard to keep her. I always intended to free her before she became to involved, but I had yet to find a place where she could settle in. Your shop seems like the perfect choice."

Fon had obviously expected the boys to agree to his request, since he then pulled out official looking papers that, upon closer inspection, actually handed over custody of his ward. Since Tsuna had already 'adopted' Lambo, he was the one to sign the papers (Kyoya wasn't interested, Hayato refused to take precedence over the brunet and Shoichi didn't think he could handle the responsibility, even if I-pin was a very calm child compared to Lambo).

Afterwards, they all went to tell the news to the youngest two.

They were found in Hayato's room, or what was left of it. The silveret didn't have many belongings, but what little he owned was pushed on the floor haphazardly. His bed had been trampled on and the covers thrown away with his pillow.

Lambo was promptly caught by the mad pianist who then shook him back and forth, all the while yelling his annoyance. Of course, Hayato wasn't harming the child, just making him a bit dizzy.

I-pin, who was only running to avoid the afro-haired brat pulling on her braid, stopped to see what was happening. "Master?"

Fon got closer to her before explaining softly in Chinese (only Lambo didn't understand, but both he and Hayato were too busy to listen). " _I-pin, you know that I have always intended for you to leave the Triads_?" She nodded. " _Well, I believe this is the best time for that. You obviously enjoy living here with Lambo and the others, I've never seen you so happy and carefree before. So I think you should stay here and have a normal life from now on_."

The girl was surprised, and before long, tears started gathering at the corners of her eyes. " _Does that mean I-pin won't see Master anymore_?" She always had a better grasp of Chinese than Italian or Japanese, which she only started learning recently.

" _Of course not, I will visit often, as often as I can without drawing suspicions on this shop. Tsunayoshi has been given custody over you, but I still consider myself as your teacher and parent. I couldn't bear to stop seeing you at all._ " He answered with a smile.

I-pin dried her tears and nodded resolutely. She had known since she became Fon's apprentice that he always intended for her to leave and lead a normal life, she just didn't expect it to happen so fast and was afraid that he might abandon her for good when it happened.

His reassurance had calmed her down. She would still see her Master from time to time, since Fon never lied to her (or to anyone else for that matter). Also, she enjoyed living with another child her age -even if Lambo was obnoxious, he was fun to be around most of the time and was actually skilled enough to somehow keep up with her. The other boys were also all nice in their own way and took care of her.

That's how I-pin ended up staying definitively in Caeruleus. She was offered to have a room for herself, but rejected it. She was perfectly fine with sharing Lambo's room as they had done so far, despite the three remaining empty bedrooms. She was used to sleeping with another presence, and either way, Lambo had a habit of going to one of his Nii-sans to sleep every once in a while. So she would have the room for herself regularly.

Fon left with a promise to send her the rest of her belongings (which arrived a few days later : mostly clothes and a few mementos from her deceased parents) and to inform Kyoya's mother of their life in Italy. Mrs Hibari was not one to worry without reason, but she also liked to be sure that her only son was well and as happy as could be. The martial artist would confirm that he was.

I-pin was quickly introduced to her new duties as a full-time member of Caeruleus, the same as Lambo. She had to keep her room clean, would accompany one of the older boys on requests to give a hand (nothing too complicated, she was still 5) and see how things worked and would participate in the chores as much as a young child could. She had seen them work beforehand, and was accustomed to harsh training, so there was no trouble. She was even more dutiful than Lambo -which, honestly, is no feat at all.

It wasn't even a month before she and the others would meet the newest members.


	14. That couldn't see through the mist

Another Path Part 14 : That couldn't see through the mist

 **Hello, everyone. So... I have no way of explaining what happened with this chapter. I had a plan for it (I even have my notes to prove it) but then the characters (one especially, you should be able to guess which, many of you expected him) said 'no' and just did what they want. I tried to rewrite this twice and they still wouldn't do what I wanted.**

 **Thank you to all those who read, reviewed, favorite-d or followed. I love reading your reviews, so don't hesitate to write one, even if it's very short or has no point to make, it's still very enjoyable for a writer.**

 **To Guest : Tsuna's Guardians will be the same, even Lambo. I can't write an AU that deviates from canon on these important points. Shoichi will be important, but won't be a Guardian.**

 **To Shelly Marsh : Nobu is an OC, so he won't have TOO big of a role, and won't appear before quite a long time. Tsuna needs to settle in and build his own (larger) family before meeting his brother again.**

 **Disclaimer : Still don't own KHR. No need to remind me of that sad fact.**

Tsuna had no idea how things turned out the way they did.

He had been shopping with Lambo and I-pin, and his two wards had asked -demanded in Lambo's case- to go buy sweets on the way. So far, nothing unusual.

They had headed to the candy section of the supermarket with light bickering between the two children, everything was completely normal (for them, no other child should be able or allowed to wield deadly gyoza buns or grenades).

Then, the shutters of the shop suddenly went down and panicked screams echoed in the room. _That_ was much less usual.

"Stay close to me you two." Said Tsuna in a low voice while gathering his two wards. Something was seriously amiss and he wasn't about to let the two children wander off. He sent a quick message to the other with his phone requesting for back-up immediately.

For some reason, his Intuition was prompting him to check what was wrong. Having plenty of experience in the aftermath of not following its advice, he decided to head for the shutters. Lambo and I-pin trailed behind him, close enough that he could protect them, but far enough to avoid being caught in any attack on the brunet. Kyoya had insisted on teaching the most vulnerable members of his pride to keep them safe.

They reached the cash registers without hindrances or encountering anyone. By then, all the screaming voices had died out, turning the supermarket eerily silent. The shutters were sealed, and Tsuna had no idea how to open them. He briefly pondered if he should blast through them with his Flames, but couldn't risk showing his ability off in public. He would have to find another way out.

He decided to go to the staff area, maybe there, he would find someone to help him or something to push open the shutters. He doubted the staff entrance would open so easily.

On the way, they encountered the first human being since this all started. Unfortunately, the middle aged woman was unconscious on the floor. After checking her vitals and finding a steady pulse, Tsuna looked for what had knocked her out, but found nothing.

Neither the brunet or the children were strong enough to carry her with them. I didn't really matter anyway, Tsuna had the unnerving feeling that he and his wards were the targets. Because it evidently was an attack, and since the other individuals had only been neutralized and left alone, and the cash registers were untouched, it was obviously not for the money.

They left the woman after sitting her more comfortably against a shelf at the far corner of the shop. That was the only thing they could do. Then they proceeded to the restricted area.

As soon as they all stepped into the room, the door shut on its own and a creepy laugh echoed in the room. "Kufufufu. You took your time."

Three figures appeared from the shadows of the room. Two teenagers around Tsuna's age and an older man. The first teen was a blond with a scar on his nose and the air of a wild beast. The second looked composed, almost uninterested. He wore a white beanie and a barcode-like tattoo under his left eye. He was playing with a yo-yo for whatever reason. The last, and most threatening, individual was a young man with black hair and two scars running on his right cheek. He was carrying a terrifying and huge metal ball covered with snake like patterns.

"We have been waiting for you." Continued the voice that didn't come from either of the three menacing individuals. Tsuna was sure that the speaker was somewhere in the room, but couldn't see him, despite the fact that said room wasn't very large. "You see, we are currently in a situation that requires us to find 'allies' very quickly. Unfortunately, most of the groups that could provide us some manner of help are also likely to sell us to our pursuers as well. That's why we have decided to get the support of a... lawful company."

Tsuna's brain translated : 'We are in trouble because we got on the wrong side of a criminal organization that has enough influence to send other similar organizations after our hides. So we are going to force your company to protect us, since you are not with them'. Great.

"Wait a minute." Countered Tsuna while physically shielding his two wards. "Why did you chose Caeruleus for your protection? There are plenty of other companies that could have worked better." You couldn't blame him for trying to get out of this mess without damage, could you?

"Kufufu, you are right. However, those would make us too easy to find. Our pursuers would discover us in days. Also, two of your co-workers have earned a reputation for their efficiency in fighting and as security detail."

Tsuna promised himself to have a _nice_ , long talk with Kyoya and Hayato about the reputation they are building for their shop as soon as he gets back home. He also discreetly pulled his fighting gloves out of his pockets and slipped them on.

"Yeah, that's not really what Caeruleus is about, you know? And you could have just came as clients to ask us that, instead of taking this whole supermarket as hostage."

The voice didn't reply immediately. Apparently, it was stunned, either by the calm that radiated from Tsuna, or because he never considered being forthright about his request. _Some people really can't ask favors directly_ lamented Tsuna as he though of his friends. All of them. Kyoya was too haughty to ask for help, Shoichi too shy, Hayato to proud to ask anyone but Tsuna, and feeling too worthless when it came to his Sky, and Lambo, while a nice kid deep down, had an ego the size of Mount Fuji. Only I-pin actually requested things nicely and not as an order.

The unseen man seemed to finally find his bearings. "You wouldn't have offered us any help if we just came and asked." He said briskly. Apparently, Tsuna had offended him somehow. "And we never had any intention of asking when we can just take."

That was when the three visible opponents decided to start attacking.

Tsuna pushed the two children out of the way and blasted the door that led to the supermarket area. His current location was too cramped for him to fight back his three -maybe four- enemies while shielding the kids. Tsuna relied on his speed, and as such needed space to be efficient in battle.

Lambo and I-pin quickly ran to hide. They wanted to help their big brother, but given the odds, they would be more of a bother than anything. It was maddening, but they had to avoid being used as hostages. Kyoya's lessons had their good sides.

Tsuna was facing his three opponents. The blond had changed his set of teeth _(Really?Teeth?_ ) and looked oddly similar to a monkey. He rushed at the brunet while the beanie-wearer threw his yo-yo towards him. Tsuna's Intuition screamed and he jumped to the side, just in time to avoid flying needles. The tall man stayed behind and only intervened to prevent Tsuna from escaping.

He had no choice but to show his Flames to survive, so Tsuna didn't hesitate anymore and let his hands burst in orange fire. His opponents were surprised, but not overly so, not like someone should be when another individual spontaneously burned in front of them. They must have known about the Flames of the Sky then. The battle continued, and Tsuna mostly used his Flames to propel himself away from harm. The three were obviously used to fighting together and covered each of their openings efficiently.

He quickly realized that they were not attempting to kill him, only immobilize him, even at the cost of injuries. Indeed, if the scared man used his huge metal weapon, any damage taken from it would be grievous at best. However, Tsuna was puzzled at the reason why they needed him alive. It's not like he would agree to fight for them if he was defeated...

The fight dragged on. Tsuna held because of his speed : he spent almost all of his time dodging and avoiding (the supermarket was wrecked), but hardly ever found an opening to strike back. His defensive posture seemed to annoy the others though.

Tsuna had just ducked under another yo-yo attack when he heard a familiar cry. He turned around immediately and stared in horror as he saw I-pin and Lambo in the arms of the blond teen. He had changed his set of teeth when the Sky wasn't looking and now looked distinctly more like a wolf. Maybe that was how he had found the two kids, since they both were exceedingly good at hiding (again, Kyoya had insisted : no weak link in the pack; although he had also taught them to lash out with their Flames if they were taken hostage. Unfortunately, the two were too scared to remember that part).

The fight stopped immediately, since Tsuna knew that any attempt on his part would result in harm to the children. Nonetheless, he was furious about the underhanded method and the endangering of his wards. His eyes were now alight with his Sky Flames, as was his forehead, although he didn't notice.

"Oya, oya, I didn't expect you to fight back so fiercely or to have the rare Sky Flames." Came the voice again. "I guess that just proves we made the right choice, though."

And the owner of the mocking voice appeared out of nowhere in front of Tsuna. He was another teenager, with hair styled in a way that was reminiscent of a pineapple. He was twirling a trident lazily between his fingers, but it was his eyes that really caught the Sky's attention. The left one was blue, while the right one was bright red with the kanji for six etched in it.

The bluenet looked sadistically pleased, yet all Tsuna could read from his expression, beneath the mask of cruelty and control, was distress and pain, with a bit of surprise. Now that he got a closer and calmer look at the others through his Hyper Dying Will Mode, he could see the same desperation hidden in the eyes of the two other teenagers. The man, however, radiated a defeated aura.

Vines covered with lotus flowers erupted from the floor and ensnared Tsuna, but he almost didn't notice them in his observation of his opponents. Even when they tightened painfully. The obvious leader of the group walked closer to him and opened his mouth to speak when the Sky cut him off with an eerily serene tone. "What are you names?"

Tsuna had no idea what caught him to ask that, but the words were out before he could hold them. His Hyper Intuition, probably. It could be annoying when it went over his conscious actions and acted almost on its own.

The bluenet was taken aback by the question, but quickly recovered. "Kufufu, you are an odd one. But I guess there is no point withholding information at this point. The one holding the children is Ken Joshima, the one with the beanie is Chikusa Kakimoto and the oldest one is Lancia. As for me, I am Mukuro Rokudo, and I'm about to take control of your body." He smirked and leaned forward to stare at the other in the eyes, expecting his prey to quiver in fear.

He certainly didn't expect the brunet before him to just tilt his head slightly and ask, all the while staring intently straight into his eyes. "Take control?"

The only reason why Mukuro answered was his amusement. It was entertaining to see someone react so calmly. The boy probably hadn't realized what his words truly meant. Good thing Mukuro didn't mind making it clearer. "You see" He explained with a sadistic smile. Tsuna could only see more hidden suffering. "This trident has a very unique ability. When the wielder strikes someone with it, it allows him to transfer his consciousness to the victim's body, effectively possessing the other's body."

Tsuna attempted to move despite his restrictions, but the bluenet was quick to intervene. "No, no, no." He said almost playfully. "Remember that Ken still has the younger ones. If you try anything, he won't hesitate to hurt them."

"That's not true." refuted the Sky without thinking. "You might hurt me, but you won't lay a hand on children so young. That's just an empty threat."

His opponents didn't know what to answer. The brunet was right, they all loathed the idea of harming innocent children due to their own disturbed childhood. They didn't want to do anything similar to those monstrous grown-ups. But they were also desperate right now and thought that the boy before them would believe their act of taking the terrified kids hostage.

Mukuro was growing increasingly annoyed. Nothing was going according to plan. The boy was supposed to have been paralyzed by fear, no report ever hinted that he had any fighting abilities, let alone powerful _Sky Flames_ , and now, he wasn't buying their act. No matter, the boy with dissimilar eyes still had his trident. "Maybe we will, maybe we won't, but that doesn't actually change anything for you. I will still possess you and find a way to keep their mouths shut."

Tsuna kept staring calmly into his eyes in an irritatingly knowing way as Mukuro raised his trident to strike. "You know you can just ask for help instead of attacking us. I'm sure we can do something for you without this whole mess."

Once again, the bluenet halted his move. This was not the begging of someone afraid for their life. In fact, it sounded remarkably genuine, even to the ears of the cunning and crafty individual that was Mukuro. Just what was wrong with this kid? They had ambushed him, attacked him, kidnapped his wards, were about to make him a prisoner of his own body and he still offered them his help?

There was no way this could be true, thought Mukuro after a handful of seconds. He was too used to being manipulated and manipulating himself to trust such a selfless offer. This must have been a trap.

He raised his trident once more, ignoring his victim's words, and was about to finally strike when something flew in front of his eyes. He barely had time to recognize the object and jump back to safety before it exploded.

Smoke filled the area and black figure rushed in and aimed at Ken immediately after. The blond let go of his hostages to dive away. Chikusa replied with his yo-yos but was blocked by a barrage of dynamite. Lancia threw his weapon at the same time and the black figure went for him.

The smoke cleared and Tsuna could see that his friends had finally arrived. Hayato had started a fight with the beanie-wearer as soon as he had saved the brunet from the threat of the trident and the restraints of the vines. They were both mid-range fighters, but the silveret had a wider range of techniques and should be fine. Kyoya had freed the two kids before rushing to the older man's throat. Tsuna wasn't really worried for his strongest friend. Shoichi had recovered the children at once and were now keeping the scarred blond at bay with Lambo's grenades, I-pin's destructive buns and the red-head's own inventions. They would hold until one of the other fighters finished their opponent and came to help.

Which left Tsuna with the dichromatic eyes. Perfect, as he wanted to ask him a few questions.

The bluenet had obviously come to the same conclusion about who his opponent was, since he turned back to Tsuna and smirked. "Oya, this wasn't planned. But I still just have to strike you to end it all, I doubt such loyal subordinates would attack their boss, even if it's only his body."

"They're not my subordinates, they are my friends. And there is another way of getting out of this : you could just stop and tell us what you need. There's really no point to all this violence when we could talk it out." Answered Tsuna, still in Hyper Dying Will Mode.

Mukuro snorted and lunged forward. He was stronger than the three from before, but Tsuna didn't have to cover for the kids anymore, and only had to keep track of one opponent now. They were equally matched.

Seeing this, the bluenet eventually pulled back and swung his trident in the air. Immediately after, the floor under Tsuna's feet melted and turned into blazing lava.

Gasps of panic sounded from behind him, but the Sky didn't move. _This is not real_ whispered his Intuition. And indeed, as he stood there, he wasn't burnt.

Mukuro was growing more and more shocked and desperate, though he tried to hide it behind amusement. "You can see through illusions? It won't save you in the end."

Their fight resumed, this time, with added vines, ice or spikes. His Hyper Intuition allowed Tsuna to avoid all of them, and he slowly overpowered the bluenet. Behind him, the battle had ended : Kyoya had first knocked Lancia out, then helped Shoichi and the children with Ken. Meanwhile, Hayato had blasted Chikusa into unconsciousness. They were currently treating whatever wounds they had with Shoichi's Sun Flames. The inventor still had trouble with healing, but no injury was very deep, so he managed.

They were waiting for Tsuna to finish his battle (another of Kyoya's teachings : no interfering with another's -mostly his- fight unless vital). But the brunet still wanted answers from Mukuro before this was all over. Since he now had the upper hand, and they both knew it, he decided to continue his interrogation as they fought.

"Why do you need help so desperately? Who is after you?" He asked calmly as he dodged a spear of ice and a swipe of a trident. He really needed to melt that thing.

"What do you care?" Came the slightly frenzied voice of Mukuro. He had used his illusions to hide, but Tsuna flooded the area with flames, forcing him to deflect them and reveal his location. "You will not help us willingly once you know either way."

"Try me." Tsuna smashed a thorn-covered lotus flower to the ground. "You don't know our circumstances any more than we know yours. And you have nothing to lose either way."

They exchanged more blows before the illusionist decided to reply. "We were exploited all our lives, why should you be any different from them? You'll just sell us to our pursuers as soon as we turn our backs! Self-righteous idiots like you can't be trusted." He sent a vicious strike towards Tsuna, but the boy propelled himself backwards with his Flames. He had a pensive look on his face, like he was weighing his options. With a last glance towards his friends, he extinguished his Flames on his hands and removed his gloves. His eyes and forehead were still blazing, though.

Mukuro expected a trap, so he didn't move any closer. The other members of Caeruleus tensed, but didn't move. Tsuna obviously had something in mind and a plan, they would trust him on this.

The brunet actually really wanted to help Mukuro and the others. His Intuition said that there was more to know about them, and his natural kindness refused to just leave teens his age to be hunted down and harmed. Right now, they were like tracked animals, violent and desperate, but he wanted to believe that they were not just ruthless monsters. After all, he _knew_ they wouldn't really have hurt Lambo and I-pin when they were held hostage. What kind of criminal did that?

So right now, he needed them to trust him, even if only little.

"See, I won't fight back. So let's talk." Tsuna raise his hands and waited a minute, but the bluenet still refused to respond. He sighed. This would require a different approach. "Your illusions work by influencing the mind, am I right?" This wasn't really a question, and they both knew it; Tsuna just wanted the other to respond somehow.

That earned him a small reluctant nod. Good, at least Mukuro was not _completely_ against communicating.

Tsuna had an idea, but he was sure it wouldn't go smoothly. First, his friends would freak out. Really freak out. Then, he wasn't sure that it was possible, and even if it was, Mukuro would have to apply it. And not try to possess or kill him in the process. Honestly, if his Intuition didn't tell him that he would be fine, he would never even consider this, even with his friends. So with an enemy...

"There might be a way to show you that we don't mean you any harm." He heard Hayato and Kyoya snort indignantly behind him. He turned slightly to see them while keeping Mukuro in his line of sight. "I'm serious. These guys have a serious problem and I want to help." Shoichi was about to answer, but Tsuna cut him off, his Hyper Dying Will Mode making him quite imposing. "Yes, I know they tried to harm us, but I really think this was their last resort. They have their backs to a wall and are desperate.

I'm going to try something, but I need you guys to remain calm. I know what I'm doing, and I have the _strong intuition_ that everything will be fine." He explained slowly. Tsuna didn't want to say out loud that he had Hyper Intuition, but wanted to convey to those in the know that it was active right now. Kyoya, Shoichi and Hayato slowly nodded their consent and The red-head made sure that the two younger -only Lambo, really- didn't reveal anything.

Tsuna smiled gratefully back at them before turning fully towards Mukuro. He could hear Ken, Chikusa and Lancia waking up behind him, but had seen that they were tied with a special flame-proof rope that Hayato and Shoichi had devised and brought. The thing could even hold Kyoya (if he let himself be tied...). They were no threat at the moment, and the brunet knew that if he could assure their leader of his intent, the others would follow.

Now, to convince Mukuro. "Since you have a power that affects minds, can you also read memories?"

The older members of Caeruleus gasped and tried to protest. They had understood what Tsuna was about to do and were firmly against the idea. The Sky only sent them a look with his flaming orange eyes. They had promised to trust him, now they had to keep their word.

Mukuro seemed to also realize what Tsuna wanted, and sent a distrustful glare his way. "Yes, I can." He admitted after a moment. "But I will not allow you to just look at my memories." He raised his trident defensively.

The brunet shook his head. "That's not what I want. I want an equal exchange. I look into your memories, but you will also look into mine. That way you'll see if I'm trustworthy and I'll see what kind of problem you have, without you having to explain it in front of everyone." He thought for a second before adding. "And you'll be leading the process the whole time, so you can make sure there is no trap."

That was a tempting offer, to be honest. Mukuro was fully aware that he was cornered and had no way to escape, not alone against all of Caeruleus. Also, the boy was right, if Mukuro was the one to handle the technical part, his opponent would have no way of tricking him. Mukuro, on the other hand...

Still, that left the rest of Caeruleus. "I accept your deal on one condition : release the others first. I am not taking a chance at one against all of you."

"Only if yo let go of that trident." Replied Tsuna after pondering a moment. "You can hand it to your friends if you want."

"They are not my friends" Sneered the bluenet. But after thinking about the unexpected offer, he agreed to it. After all, if the brunet wanted to make such an easy target and victim, who was he to deny him? "Deal."


	15. That was filled with memories

Another Path Part 15 : That was filled with memories

 **Hello everyone! Here's this week's chapter. Also, just to let you know, I _might_ not be able to post next Sunday. Maybe there will be a new chapter, maybe not, I cannot tell as of yet, so sorry in advance if that is the case.**

 **For those who asked : I had planned for Mukuro to actually defeat Tsuna and begin to take over his body before the others arrived and saved Tsuna. But Tsuna said that after training with Hibari for so long, he wouldn't be beaten so easily, and the two kids decided to be able to protect themselves better than I expected. Then Mukuro kufufu-ed and did his own thing completely. None of the characters listened to me after that, but I'm glad if you still enjoyed it.**

 **To setokayba2n : I just had to say that your review made me laugh by myself for a good five minutes. Thank you greatly for that.**

 **As always, thanks to all those who followed or favorite-d and reviews are always appreciated!**

 **Disclaimer : I still don't own anything from KHR. Do I really have to write that every time?**

After Tsuna and Mukuro had completed the deal, Ken, Chikusa and Lancia were gingerly released by Hayato, while Shoichi held the two youngest and Kyoya stood guard besides them. The two groups kept sending wary glares at each other. None of them were really happy with the situation, but Caeruleus trusted their Sky, and the others wouldn't go against Mukuro's orders.

The bluenet's trident was tossed to Chikusa. The two leaders had remained at a distance from the others so as to not give their opponent a reason to be wary. They had also kept staring at each other continuously, and Tsuna had let go of his Hyper Dying Will Mode as soon as Mukuro had let go of his weapon.

"So, how does this work?" Asked the brunet curiously. He couldn't say he had any experience in the matter.

If Mukuro was surprised at the other's open behavior, he didn't say it. "I need a physical contact. After that, I will use the power of my eye to go into your mind. The Sixth Realm is supposed to be used to possess others, but without my trident, I can't, so you have nothing to fear." That was a lie. The trident only helped him overcome the other's mind, he could force his way without it if he had a long-lasting physical contact. However, Mukuro was curious and the boy was a mystery he wanted to resolve. So he would exchange his memories, to see why the Sky before him turned out the way he was (and to scare the gullible boy with his own bloody past). And then, he would still possess him. The boy was a fool for trusting his enemies, Mukuro only made good use of the opportunity he was presented.

Tsuna quirked an eyebrow at that explanation, but didn't say anything. Truthfully, he had detected the lie, but his Intuition still claimed that there was no real danger with his plan, so he didn't say anything. Mukuro continued. "Once inside your mind, I can establish a connection to let you see my memories while I look at your past. From the outside, it will look like we are unconscious, so we need to make sure the physical connection holds."

"So we're going to be holding hands?"

Strangely enough, that little detail was the straw that broke the camel's back. Or rather, the bomber's back. "Tsuna-san, you can't actually _hold hands_ with that bastard!?" Yelled Hayato. Tsuna didn't remember him exerting himself so much during the previous fight that his cheeks were so red. Even weirder was the blush on Shoichi's face. What was that for? Even Kyoya looked disapprovingly at the brunet (and exasperatingly at his two comrades).

"Why not? And why are you freaking out about _that_ rather than the fact that Mukuro will be looking _inside my mind_?" Inquired Tsuna curiously with a slight tilt of his head. He could have sworn that the Sun and Storm's blush darkened.

"Then let's talk about that." Intervened Kyoya, since the other two were stuttering incomprehensibly anyways. Useless Herbivores. "It's a bad idea." He stated while glaring daggers (or tonfas) into Mukuro who was looking amusingly at the rest of Caeruleus.

"I guess it's not the best idea I've ever had. But I'm sure everything will be alright." Argued the Sky, hoping the others would take the hint and see that his Intuition was currently working. "And it's not like we have any other way to settle this."

"We could bite them to dea..."

"To settle this _peacefully_ , Kyoya." Interrupted Tsuna with a sigh. Why did his friend have to resolve everything with violence? "And what would you do once you've beaten them all, anyway? Call the police to send them to jail? And explain why there are traces of explosions and fire here? Not to mention the unwanted attention this would bring both of our groups, since I doubt Mukuro and his friends wish to be noticed. We're trying to keep a low profile, remember? I'm trying to find a solution that will suit us all."

"It doesn't have to suit the blue pineapple." Retorted Hayato who had recovered by now. Mukuro didn't drop his smile, but it took an even more vicious turn after hearing the nickname. The silveret ignored him. "We could just knock them all out and leave before the cops arrives. Or take care of them ourselves." He added darkly.

Tsuna was about to scold him for even hinting at killing before he remembered the bomber's past in the Mafia. Hayato was tragically used to people being assassinated, or 'disappearing', never to be seen or heard of again. The brunet only shook his head and explained sadly. "We're not going to kill them, Hayato. Killing should never be our first solution, especially when the others agreed to negotiating. We're not criminals, not even you, not anymore." He offered a small smile at his confused friend. The silveret had always lived in a world where murder and violence was common, it would take him some time to be able to see other methods of settling issues. But Tsuna would help him as much as he could along the way, and he knew that the other members of Caeruleus would too, even if most of them also had problematic backgrounds as well (Shoichi was, after all, the only true civilian of the bunch). The Sky would do his best for all of them. He continued softly. "And we're not going to sell them to the police either. First, they know too much about us. And second, I want to see if there's anything we can do to help them. They look as lost as you did when we first met, Hayato."

That last point was a bit low. Tsuna knew that the Storm would not be able to complain if he compared their situation with his circumstances. But time kept running, and Tsuna wanted to get this over with before any of the unconscious civilians he had spotted so far woke up, and alerted the police. He turned back toward Mukuro who was eying him strangely. "How is this going to happen?"

Mukuro shook himself out of his musing. The boy before him had seemed genuinely against what made the Mafia run, and it confused him. In the bluenet's experience, any strong individual used his power to tower over others, especially fighters. And yet, this boy, who was obviously strong, able to defeat his rivals, and in touch with criminals (because the raven and silveret couldn't be anything but criminals in Mukuro's mind) had just denied the right to trample them.

He was even more curious as to what he'll find in the brunet's head.

Still, the boy had asked a question. "We should sit down and hold hands" Mukuro sent a smug smile to the fuming bomber. "and then I'll go inside your mind. It'll be painless if you do not resist, as far as I can tell. Then, I will show you my memories while I see yours. Evidently, we are not going to share the entirety of our pasts. Even in the state we'll be in, it would take days. Fortunately, the mind has a tendency of remembering the most important events and occulting the useless drivel. We will mostly see the marking moments of our respective lives, and the rest will appear hazy and undetailed, and should move on quickly. The whole ordeal should last twenty minutes, given our apparent ages, half an hour at most."

Of course, Mukuro conveniently forgot to mention his traumatic memories, or the fact that he would use the opportunity to take over the Sky's body (which should prove easy if the brunet didn't resist. It was as if he was giving the illusionist permission to possess him, really). The boy didn't need to know these 'details'.

Tsuna nodded and sat down without picking up on the lie he had detected once more. Or rather, on the omission he had felt in Mukuro's little speech. After all, his Intuition still didn't alert him of any real threat, only of a future unpleasant experience. Honestly, it was to be expected; people tend to remember the painful events more than the peacefully happy ones, and the bluenet in front of him obviously had not lived a calm, pleasant life.

Mukuro sat down in front of him and offered his hand. Tsuna took it without hesitation and closed his eyes once he saw the other do it himself. The brunet was sure he would be safe : his Intuition didn't detect anything threatening, and most of all, he could feel the presence of his friends behind him, ready to barge in if he needed them.

Tsuna focused on himself like he did when meditating and quickly felt another consciousness prod him. He let it in immediately.

()()()()()()

Mukuro's plan was proceeding as he wanted. Sure, his first objective of beating the boy and using his trident to overcome his mind had failed, but in the end, he now had a similar opportunity. The only difference being that the boy had willingly let him in his head.

The fool.

In Mukuro's experience, people's mind always had the same basic appearance : a big, empty, circular room, with multiple doors leading to different areas. Some opened to the memories, some to the feelings, to instinct, thoughts, and so on. Usually, Mukuro went straight to the door that lead to 'body control' and left it at that.

But today was a bit different. He had given his word that he would exchange memories, and he would keep it. Even if he would later follow his habitual pattern.

Time spent in someone's mind went differently, and the bluenet was convinced that nobody would attack him for a while (which was not so common for him), so he had the leisure of examining his surroundings. While Tsunayoshi's mind shared the same basic structure as most minds, it also had a few singularities.

Most mindscapes were painted in pastel colors, barely different from white, but this one was completely orange. A bright and warm orange that would have hurt Mukuro's eyes if this was not the inside of one's soul and eyes were only a representation of the mind. The illusionist knew that the color was due to the boy's active Flame. He had had the chance of possessing several individual that could channel their Dying Will, and the walls of their minds were always painted the color of their Flames. Mukuro knew for instance that his mindscape was indigo, while Ken's was yellow, Chikusa's was light blue and Lancia's was red.

What was really surprising was what stood in the middle of the room. All the souls Mukuro had ever visited (or invaded) were empty. Except this one. In the center was a large circular table the same colors as the walls. Several items had been placed on it : a pair of purple tonfas, a yellow laptop, red sticks of dynamite (with thin stripes of blue, purple, yellow and green), a green figurine of a cow and two red carved eastern dragons, one fearsome and imposing, the other small and pretty cute.

Mukuro was puzzled until he remembered that Tsunayoshi was a Sky, the first whose mind he had ever visited. As such, he could harmonize with others with active Flames, and the items on the table were probably the manifestations of said bonds. Each object represented the way the boy saw his Elements, and indeed, the illusionist could guess which item stood for each of the people he had seen earlier. The only one he couldn't place was the tallest dragon.

Anyway, the bluenet had things to do, and even if time was slower in here, it still flowed. He needed to get to work. Mukuro located his objective, after glancing suspiciously at the door of instinct, who was ajar and covered in winding golden patterns. He stood before the door of memories and activated his right eye. He started to pour his own memories out, so that Tsunayoshi could see them, opened the door and stepped inside.

Shortly after, a dark blue trident materialized on the table.

()()()()()()

Outside Tsuna's mindscape, the rest of Caeruleus, along with Chikusa, Ken and Lancia were waiting for their leaders to wake up. None of them liked the current arrangement. Unfortunately, they also knew that Tsuna and Mukuro were too stubborn to be reasoned with. Those two had decided on a deal, and wouldn't be persuaded out of it. All the others could do was wait, and prepare themselves for the possible fight that might take place when the exchange of memories was over.

So the two groups stood apart from each other, a coupe meters behind their respective leaders, weapons sheathed, but ready to be used at a moment's notice. Lambo and I-pin had fallen asleep in Shoichi's arms; the fight and hostage situation had stressed them out and they were exhausted. The older ones were grateful in a way, they didn't know what the bluenet would do inside Tsuna's mind, and didn't want impressionable children to witness that. Not that they wanted to see it either. Their Sky had assured them that he would be fine, but that didn't mean they weren't worried, or that their imagination wasn't driving them crazy with possible scenarios.

Due to their location, Caeruleus couldn't see Tsuna's face becoming more and more white; while Ken, Chikusa and Lancia missed the progressive furrowing of Mukuro's eyebrows.

()()()()()()

Mukuro hadn't expected that.

He had done his research on Caeruleus before attempting to possess their leader. He knew that it was run by kids, which was one of the main reason he had targeted them. But he still thought that their business was helped by some adults, supervisors if you will. Probably the leader's parents.

The memories exposed in front of him showed quite the contrary.

Mukuro saw a younger twin brother, adored and spoiled, while he-or rather Tsunayoshi, but Mukuro saw through his eyes and felt his emotions in the memory- was neglected or abused. Not to the extant that the bluenet had been abused, but still... He felt a pinch of sympathy for the small boy.

Memories blurred in front of the illusionist, until it focused and he saw the first time Tsunayoshi had called his Flame. The warmth and the feeling of _right_. Then the lonely and hidden training to master the ability, and the push of a strangely accurate intuition.

The meeting with Hibari Kyoya. The fear, which turned into friendship. The overwhelming gratefulness when Kyoya sided with him against Ienobu. The safe haven that was the Hibari mansion. The first birthday party.

The revelation of his father's true job, and Kyoya's decision to stick with him.

Encountering Irie Shoichi, befriending him and explaining everything to him. His acceptance, and the warmth that followed.

The creation of the Discipline Committee. Ienobu's first murder attempt. The beginning of a plan to escape. Kyoya and Shoichi's promise to follow him. So grateful...

The second attempt on his life. Planned and ruthless. And worst of all, the injury on Shoichi. The fury of having _one of his own_ harmed, even if he didn't know the meaning of Harmonization yet.

The third and final attempt at murder, cruel and carefully executed. The sleeping drug and the fire. Waking up, meeting Kyoya's mother (Mukuro noted the name of Tsunayoshi's incredible Intuition, it could be useful), and finally, finally leaving Namimori, Ienobu and everything behind.

The first jobs, then the new house/shop. Being happy and _free_ with his friends.

Meeting Hayato, the immediate sense of kinship. The silveret's near death at the hands of those who should cherish him. The fury, again. His rescue, and welcoming him in Caeruleus.

Crossing Lambo in a cold street. Parting with him, only to meet again later. The way his Flames raged when he learned of the boy's circumstances. His adoption from the Bovino, who should all be bitten to death by Kyoya for hurting such a delightful child...

Fon and I-pin. The adult-in-a-baby's-body who wanted to protect his student. His help with training and Flames. I-pin and Lambo's instant friendship, however it appeared on the surface. Fon's request, his agreement. I-pin settling in her room with Lambo with a smile...

At that point, Mukuro had almost lost his desire to take over Tsunayoshi's body. He was used to dealing with scum. People who thrived in violence and other's tears. Not children who fought their fate with whatever means they had, and who cared so deeply for the wellbeing of their own.

But the bluenet was also desperate to escape his own fate. And he would do anything to make sure that he (and Chikusa and Ken, because despite everything that he claimed, they were his only comrades) would survive. And right now, he had the Vindice on his heels and no other way to elude them than to use the boy whose memories he was seeing. So he _would_ possess the poor boy. He had to.

That's when he saw the final memories. Those of his and Tsunayoshi's encounter, clear and understandable due to their freshness.

Getting isolated in a supermarket. The fear for the safety of his two wards. Finding himself face to face with the perpetrators, except for the obvious mastermind. A fight, to protect the two children. wasting time, so the others can arrive and help.

Lambo and I-pin being caught and threatened. The strange state of calm, again. Hyper Dying Will. The leader showing himself. Looking into his unusual eyes, and yet, to Mukuro's shock, not being scared of them. Instead, seeing the pain and desperation, and an urge to give him a hand. Mukuro didn't know what to think of that.

Noticing the look in the other enemies' eyes for the first time. Fear, need for help. And he wants to help somehow. Reaching out to them. In vain. Kyoya, Hayato and Shoichi's arrival.

The fight continues, and they win. The opponent is down, but he still wants to help. He just needs to find a way to make them accept it. A way to show how genuine his offer is.

An idea. Crazy, unreasonable, and that the rest of his own will refuse. But they need help, whatever the cost, and he _knows_ he will be fine. Whatever the bluenet before him might be planning in his desperation and suffering, he will be fine.

They accept. Reluctantly, and because they have no other escape route. The bluenet plans to use him, to trick him, and lies. But it's fine. It won't matter in the end, if he can show them that he cares and will help.

He takes the hand offered to him and closes his eyes. Trust.

Mukuro had no idea what to think. The idea that the memory had been tampered with briefly crossed his mind, but he quickly rejected it. Tsunayoshi obviously had no experience with matters of the soul, and Mukuro was too talented to be deceived by an amateur.

That still didn't explain anything. Why would the boy try so hard to help people he didn't know? Worse, people who attacked him and his charges, and tried to possess him? Mukuro couldn't comprehend how someone could be so selfless. And yet, after what he had just seen, there was no denying it.

Suddenly, Mukuro wasn't so sure about his original plan...

()()()()()()

Tsuna wasn't so sure that had been a good idea after all.

All he could feel was pain. Death and pain. And screams, pleas and begging.

Mukuro's past was gruesome. It was all a blur, but Tsuna had managed to gather a few things. The bluenet and two of his current companions -Ken Joshima and Chikusa Kakimoto, if he remembered correctly- had been born into a Mafia Famiglia, the Estraneo. Something happened and the Famiglia had been baned from the rest of the world, or something of the like. And those assholes had had no better idea than to go into human experimentation. And since they couldn't go outside to get test subjects, they decided to work on their own kids.

Their own fucking kids!

And they didn't go easy on them either. None of the many children were treated in a humane way. From the moment the young Mukuro had been put in the common cell, his life had been nothing but painful experiment after painful experiment. A torn eye, replaced by one of their inventions. And then, he was killed. Six time, each worse than the previous. Each time visiting a different level of Hell and painstakingly escaping. Only to return to the 'tender care' of his so-called Family. A vicious circle with no end in sight.

So he forced it to end. Once he was strong enough. Once the power that had been forced on him had matured enough. And he escaped from this Hell. Because that was what it had been. An escape, and the slaughter had only been a means to an end. Not that he hadn't taken pleasure when _they_ had been the one to scream in pain. But nothing he could have done would have ever been enough to pay them back.

He ran, with the two only other survivors of the Estraneo's experiments. Ken and Chikusa. He called them pawns, disposable, but deep down, they were all he had. The only one who could understand his circumstances. The only ones who would never leave him.

They were picked up by another Famiglia. A large one. Ken and Chikusa had felt at ease and admitted to being part of the Estraneo. He was more doubtful. They had been placed under the youngest member's care. Lancia. He was a good man, if a bit gullible. The same couldn't be said about the other Mafiosi.

They acted nice around him, Ken and Chikusa. But he could see better than that. He was used to the darkest side of humanity, and deception came to him as easily as breathing. He could see the way the Boss was looking at him. Like a tool. Like a weapon. Like an object.

He started to listen in on conversations, and his suspicions were confirmed. They had been adopted into the Famiglia because it wanted their power. All but guileless Lancia, who honestly cared about his three damaged charges. But Ken and Chikusa were not deemed powerful enough, and would be 'disposed of' soon.

Not if he had anything to say about it.

He had no mercy for the others, but didn't want to kill Lancia. The man was naive, but not evil. However, he could not let him go either. Lancia knew too much, and a grown man could be useful in their flight. Because this time, Vindice would go after them. The Estraneo were ostracized from the rest of the world, but not this Famiglia.

To make sure that Lancia would stay with them, if only out of guilt, he possessed the man and made him kill his Famiglia. He knew it was cruel, but it was necessary, for him and his two comrades. Lancia was strong, they would need him. It was a good excuse not to kill him as well. He kept a link with his soul, to possess him again if he attempted to escape.

Their run didn't go as planned. Vindice caught up to them faster than he expected. At least Lancia was still with them, due to the man's guilt and with a push from his new eye's power. At least the cursed thing had its use...

But still, Vindice was hounding them. Always closer. They needed a solution. Something to shield them. He thought of using another Famiglia, but quickly abandoned the idea. No Famiglia would help them with Vindice on their heels. A civilian company? No, too easy to find, their pursuers would be onto them in a matter of days, and any adult would question and report three obviously abused children.

That's when he heard of Caeruleus. A jack-of-all-trades business that was ran by kids around their age. With at least two of them known for their prodigious fighting skills. Perfect. They would blend in and disappear from Vindice's sight.

He planned to attack the boy known as their leader. A small brunet that couldn't hurt a fly was the boss of two bloodthirsty fighters. Go figure.

He decided to possess the boy when he was alone. On grocery shopping. There were two young children with him. Unfortunate, he didn't like harming kids, mentally or physically. It reminded him too much of the Estraneo. But he couldn't stop now. They needed to be hidden by Caeruleus.

Surprisingly, the brunet could put up a fight. A good fight, actually, and he even had the rare Sky Flames. This would be useful once he was in control. And the kids had gotten away. Good for them, but he had to get them to finish this quickly.

Ken had found them, and he was about to possess the brunet. Good, because those eyes unsettled him. They saw too much. There was no hate in them, just a calmness that shouldn't be there.

Then the rest of Caeruleus barged in. The fight had taken too long, and he felt his plan crumble. They were overpowered, and he was soon at the mercy of the brunet with flaming eyes.

There was no escape left, and yet the boy left him a chance. The idiot. He would do anything to survive, and had no qualms tricking the boy. An exchange of memories. Easy for him to twist his plan and eventually go back on track. Everything would be fine. He could even indulge the fool and actually show him his past. It would freak him out for sure. As if the boy would have really helped them once he knew the whole truth. He was an experiment, a murderer, a manipulator and on the run. Who would help him, knowing it all, apart from those who had the same beginning?

The rest of Caeruleus protested, but the boy stupidly shut them up. How naively nice was he? No matter, it would all change once he saw the truth.

So he went along offered the boy his hand. Like a contract stating that he agreed to his plan. And the fool took it without missing a beat. He closed his eyes, and began his invasion of the brunet's mind.

That was the end of Mukuro's memories, and Tsuna had been silently crying for a while.


	16. That came to an agreement

Another Path Part 16 : That came to an agreement

 **A thousand apologies for the lateness of this chapter. Things happened in real life and it completely slipped my out of my mind. After that, I changed my laptop, and instead of copying all the crap I have saved (which is a lot, I tend to accumulate useless things and never get rid of them), I only transfered a few select things. So I lost the few chapters I had in advance. And then, a couple days ago, a discussion with a friend suddenly reminded me of this story. Thankfully, I still had all my notes (buried under a pile of other drabbles and half finished drawings, because I also never throw my papers, no matter how useless).**

 **So here's the continuation of Another Path, several months late, sorry again. And from now on, chapters will be updated more on a monthly basis, since I no longer have more written. And if this chapter feels a bit disjointed or rushed, feel free to say so. I might work back on it if it is too blatant.**

 **As for Kyoko and Haru, well, I can't see how to include Ryohei without adding his sister, and Haru just followed along in my notes (and is also a good excuse to have Kyoko busy away from the main plot). But neither girl will be very important in this story, don't worry. I don't like them much myself to be honest.**

It had been exactly 27 minutes since the exchange of memories had begun. Hayato had checked. The blue pineapple had said it would be 30 minutes at most. This was growing increasingly more concerning. And it would have been worse if he could see how pale Tsuna had become, or the tears running down his cheeks in silence. Fortunately for everyone, the members of Caeruleus were standing behind their leader so they wouldn't see his face, and no-one had a reason to go on a rampage... more than usual.

Mukuro's crew was just the same. They couldn't see their leader frowning heavily, but were still worried sick. The bluenet's original plan had been thwarted, and they all knew how much the teen hated improvising. Also, he should have already possessed the brunet and woken up; they were aware that he could take over others' body with just physical contact. So what was going on?

With a shiver, Mukuro suddenly woke up and opened his eyes, still frowning. Tsuna followed right after him and couldn't quite hide a sob. That got his friends to panic and they rushed to his side, tonfas and explosives ready.

"Tsuna-san! Are you alright? What did that bastard do? I'll blow him up!"

"No Hayato!" Ordered the brunet with a shaking voice. He was trying his best to stop the tears and wiped his face with his free hand. The other was still holding Mukuro's. "I'm fine, it's just that... Mukuro's memories were a bit... They weren't very pleasant."

The silveret grudgingly extinguished the stick he had lit, but kept glaring at the illusionist, along with Kyoya. Not that the bluenet noticed, as he was currently staring at the hand holding his own.

"Mukuro-sama?" Asked Chikusa while he walked closer to his leader's side, slowly and with his hands raised so as not to be attacked. From the brunet's reaction, he was still himself, so the yo-yo-user was extremely worried for his Boss. It wasn't like Mukuro to let go of such an opportunity. "Is something wrong?"

The illusionist didn't answer him, and only absently shook his head. After a minute more of staring, he looked up to the foolish Sky's eyes. "Why are you still holding me?"

The boy, who had managed to calm down thanks to Hayato's and Kyoya's comfort (Shoichi had stayed back to protect the kids, just in case), looked back. "Because I don't want to let go."

"That's stupid. You should know what I can do now." Mukuro didn't understand and replied aggressively.

"You haven't done it when you could have easily, so you won't do it now." Answered Tsuna with absolute certainty. "And I meant what I said before, I want to help you. I think _you_ know that now. The only thing I lack is you letting me help you."

 _Again with the staring orange eyes_ , thought Mukuro. But he was still in disbelief. "You've seen what I did. I can do it again. I can kill you all once you turn your backs on me. That's the kind of monster I am."

"You're not!" Almost screamed the brunet, and for half a second, Mukuro was tempted to believe that. His three minions were now behind him, as were the two fighters of Caeruleus with Tsuna. They were silent, understanding that this was a conversation they could not intrude in. The Sky's hand squeezed his. He had still not let go. "You did what you could to protect yourself and your friends with what you had. I still don't endorse murder when there are other solutions, but it's easy to see that you had your back to a wall. Both times. You're not a monster, you were just placed into horrible situations and did your best."

Something seemed to feel lighter in Mukuro's chest. It was the first time anyone had told him he had not been _wrong_. Not _right_ either, but at least not wrong. Ken and Chikusa never spoke of their Estraneo days, and he couldn't blame them. He didn't want to re-live those memories either. And he had never really told them why he had slaughtered Lancia's Famiglia. They had seemingly welcomed them in, and he never had the heart to tell his two companions that they were about to be disposed of by the very first people that promised to take care of them. Chikusa and Ken had not even actually killed any member of that Famiglia, directly or indirectly. They had just obeyed Mukuro's orders when he told them his plan and went to prepare everything for their following run from Vindice.

He had never told Lancia either. The man wouldn't have believed him before the slaughter, and he had had no time to convince him properly if he wanted to save Ken and Chikusa. So the illusionist had possessed him and used his hands to kill his fellow Famiglia members. He knew the man resented him, obviously, and doubted he would have listened to the truth afterwards. Also, Mukuro wasn't unnecessarily cruel, despite appearances. He had no qualms destabilizing his opponents and using whatever means available to get his way, but he wouldn't harm people without reason. Explaining to Lancia that the Famiglia that adopted and raised him before it had picked up Mukuro, Chikusa and Ken had only kept him because he was useful and strong would only hurt the man. Hurt him, and not convince him.

So Tsunayoshi's words were a first to Mukuro, and he felt warm inside. Lighter, but also terribly confused. He didn't know what to answer back, but thankfully, the brunet continued with another squeeze of his hand. "I still want to help you and your friends. I really do, and you know that. The only thing I want in exchange is for you to tell them the truth. The whole truth."

That, Mukuro could reply to. "They don't need to know the whole truth."

To any other individual, he would have sounded like he didn't want to share information with his pawns, who were too stupid or not trusted enough to know. From the varying reactions of the standing people, that's exactly what they believed. But Tsuna had seen his past and heard his thoughts. He saw hat Mukuro was actually worried for them in his own twisted way. He didn't want to hurt them.

"Yes, they do. They can make their own decisions as well, you know. Give them some credit. And no matter how much it pains them, they deserve to know the truth. _You_ deserve to have them know the truth. It's only fair. And that's the only condition I have with helping you avoid Vindice."

Behind him, Hayato choked. Of all the members of Caeruleus, he was the only one to know who, or rather _what_ Vindice was, although he had never seen them. But he had heard stories. "Tsuna-san, you mean they are..." The brunet turned to him and nodded.

"Yes, they are wanted by Vindice. And I have seen enough from Mukuro's memories to know who they are and what they do. But nothing Mukuro and his friends have done should warrant their imprisonment. So I intend to lend a hand, if you all agree."

Kyoya studied him carefully for a moment before grunting. "You always do what you want either way, Tsunayoshi. I won't stop you this time if you are so sure."

"Neither will I." Declared Shoichi from the back, Lambo and I-pin asleep in his arms. "I'll help however I can."

All the awake members of Caeruleus turned to the last one who hadn't answered yet. Hayato was torn between his loyalty to his Tsuna-san, and the natural fear that any Mafiosi felt towards Vindice. In the end, of course, his Boss won. "Alright, Tsuna-san. I'm in as well. But if those bastards ever try something against you, I'll blow them up before Vindice even has a chance to catch them." He threatened, and the brunet smiled gratefully.

He turned back towards Mukuro (whose hand was still in his. But he didn't want to let go just yet). "You see, we'll all help. But you have to explain everything to your companions beforehand. Especially Lancia, he has the right to decide of his future with all the cards in hand."

Mukuro wasn't pleased. At all. But he could see that the brunet wouldn't yield, and the boy was the only chance he had. However, let it never be said that Rokudo Mukuro admitted defeat easily. He had appearances to keep, so he only huffed arrogantly. "You better keep your word, Tsunayoshi."

That earned him an amused smile and a shake of his hand. Like sealing a contract. "We'll return to Caeruleus to put the kids to bed. You know where to find us once you're done. And you shouldn't stay here much longer either, the police will probably arrive soon."

The brunet finally let go of Mukuro's hand, and the bluenet found himself missing the warmth. Not that he would ever admit it.

Tsuna got up, stretched and went to pick Lambo from Shoichi's arms. He then left the supermarket from the staff door with his friends.

Mukuro stood as well, and met the inquisitive and suspicious eyes of his subordinates. This was not going to be easy.

()()()()()()

Tsuna and his friends had returned to the shop almost an hour ago. During that time, the brunet had tucked his two young wards to bed, and supplied the older members with a short report of what he had seen in Mukuro's past. He didn't go into details, or the illusionist's thoughts, and only told the facts. He also gave a quick explanation on Vindice for his two civilian friends' benefit. Once he had finished, Shoichi's face had turned a delicate shade of green, Kyoya was frowning even more than usual, and Hayato didn't seem to know what to think.

"So, Tsuna-san, if I got this all right, you just invited fugitives from Vindice to Caeruleus. Fugitives who have committed mass-murder at that."

"In short, Hayato, yes, I have. But it was self-defense every time. The Estraneo had it coming, and Lancia's Famiglia -I don't know their name, it probably didn't seem important enough for Mukuro to remember- was hardly better. After what he had endured at the Estraneo's hands, I can't exactly blame Mukuro for protecting his friends, although I would have done it differently in his place." Tsuna's face was serious. He wanted his friends to understand his decision, and to accept the run-aways in.

"You're certain they won't stab us in the back?" Asked Shoichi. His face now looked a bit more healthy, despite its remaining paleness.

"I am. My Intuition is sure of it, and given what I've seen of Mukuro's memories, they only attacked to protect themselves. We don't risk anything as long as we don't betray their trust first."

They all pondered on that last statement for a while, until Kyoya broke the heavy silence. "What makes you so sure they will come back?"

Tsuna rejoiced inwardly. That question meant that the raven had accepted that Mukuro and his friends wouldn't harm them. He still didn't like them, but he wouldn't attack them on sight either, and with Kyoya's personality, that was a great step forward. "My Intuition, again. And the fact that the don't really have any other option. The need a group that can offer them some protection, but no Famiglia would interfere with Vindice. Most civilian companies that could help are too easily tracked, and would question their age and background. Caeruleus was an unexpected solution. I'm sure they'll come here very soon."

"Your Intuition really is oddly accurate, Tsunayoshi." Came a voice from the front door.

All the members of Caeruleus turned brusquely to see who had spoken. And sure enough, Mukuro stood in front of the door. Behind him were Ken and Chikusa, but Lancia was nowhere to be seen.

"Mukuro!" Exclaimed Tsuna, to which the illusionist replied with a slow bend of his head. "And your two friends are here too. Ken and Chikusa, wasn't it?" He asked as he got closer to greet them. The two boys didn't seem to know how to react to the brunet's friendliness, especially since a short while ago they had been at each other's throats. Not to mention they were unused to people being so nice in general without an ulterior motive.

But Tsuna was completely unaffected by their coldness and proceeded to shake their hands (without their consent, but they were too stunned to react in time) and introduced himself, as well as his friends. Hayato and Kyoya frowned heavily at their leader's actions but remained thankfully silent, Shoichi seemed paralyzed and Mukuro just smirked knowingly.

"So I take it Mukuro told you the whole truth?" Asked Tsuna, either unfazed or oblivious to the unease saturating the room, you could never really tell with the brunet. "I guess mister Lancia didn't want to stay, since he isn't here." He seemed saddened.

"Lancia decided he needed some time to ponder this new information." Supplied Mukuro, since he was the only one of his group able to answer at the moment -Ken was uncharacteristically mute and Chikusa seemed to have lost his tongue. "He didn't believe me at first, so I had to use my knowledge of his Famiglia's most... unsavory business to convince him. The man didn't take it very well." There was a trace of remorse in the bluenet's voice, but it was too well hidden for anyone not familiar to hear. Or for anyone who hadn't recently been inside his head.

"I see... That's too bad, but we'll be here if he decides to come back, or if he needs something." Tsuna lost himself in his thoughts briefly, then shook his head and returned to the situation at hand. "So, you're here to join Caeruleus?"

The three runaways exchanged a look before Mukuro -who was still the leader and whose decisions the others would follow- nodded. "Vindice is still after us. Lancia might be able to escape since he was never their main objective, but not us. Two dead Famiglias are too much for the police of the Mafia to ignore. So we decided to take your offer and hide here."

"That's good to hear." Replied Tsuna with a broad smile. Ken and Chikusa wondered why he was so happy to house criminals, and would have already fled if Mukuro hadn't convinced them that the boy's help was genuine. "We were talking about that when you arrived. We more or less came to an agreement, and you're welcome to stay." Two grunts sounded behind him, but Tsuna ignored them. He knew his friends enough to tell that they had accepted the new arrangement, but were too stubborn to admit it. "We have three free rooms, actually, so you're free to use them. However, since you are now a part of Caeruleus, you'll have to follow our rules. It's nothing too harsh, I promise."

He then gestured them towards one of the sofas where he sat in front of them. Kyoya and Hayato immediately went to sit at his sides, like bodyguards.

Shoichi, who had finally found his ability to move along with his good manners, offered them drinks. Seeing that none of their newest members answered and instead directed distrustful eyes at the red-head, Tsuna said that he would like some tea, and asked the inventor to bring a teapot for everyone as well. Tea wasn't his favorite drink, but it was a strategic choice : Mukuro, Ken and Chikusa could be sure that it wasn't drugged or poisoned (which was obviously what they feared), since they would all be served from the same teapot; and tea always had a soothing effect on Kyoya's temper. As long as it was Japanese, but the Sky trusted Shoichi to follow his thoughts and chose the right kind.

For the following two hours, Tsuna and his friends exposed the details of their business to the three newcomers. The latter had very few questions and mostly listened in silence, sometimes sipping their tea (only once Tsuna had taken the first gulp to prove it was safe), or taking a bite of the sandwiches that were later placed in front of them by Shoichi (again, they had waited for the brunet to eat a mouthful).

At the end of the long explanation, since it was already late and they had all had an eventful day, Tsuna showed the three to their new bedrooms (thankfully, they had bought beds and desks ages before, even though the rooms had been free), before heading to his own.

As he lied in his bed, the Sky was wondering what he could do to help the newcomers get over their distrust of the world and everyone in it. It was a problem he had never faced before. He himself believed in people too easily (Ienobu's third assassination attempt was undeniable proof), but none of his friends had been so wary before. Kyoya was so sure of his fighting ability that he never had a reason to be cautious around him before they became friends. They had greatly helped Shoichi when they met, so the inventor never had to question their motives towards him, even if he had been terrified of them at first. Hayato had been a bit more difficult, but saving him from these Mafiosi had instantly turned Tsuna into some kind of sacred figure in his eyes. Lambo and I-pin were too young to truly understand the risks with trusting a stranger, and besides, they had met with circumstances that cast Tsuna and his friends in a good light.

In the end, the Sky figured that only time and constant kindness and care would help the three runaways get comfortable around the others.

()()()()()()

Tsuna woke up at 6h30, got ready and headed to the kitchen. Today was his turn to prepare breakfast, so he had set his alarm earlier than usual. He absently noted to himself that a new schedule would have to be made to include Mukuro, Chikusa and Ken. He also reminded himself to test their cooking ability before letting them alone in the kitchen. No-one wanted another 'Hayato Incident'.

However, he was surprised to see that he was not the first to wake up today.

Mukuro was standing in the kitchen, looking into every cupboard and drawer. Tsuna couldn't tell if he was checking for any poison or incriminating evidence, or if he was hunting something to eat.

The bluenet hadn't noticed him, so Tsuna stayed silent for a minute before deciding he had waited long enough. "Good morning Mukuro." He greeted, low enough not to wake the remaining sleeping people, but loud enough for the illusionist to hear distinctly.

Mukuro started slightly and a trident appeared in his hand instantly. He jumped into a fighting posture before recognizing the brunet, making his weapon vanish and dropping his guard. Not completely, noted Tsuna, but it was still a small mark of trust.

"Good morning to you as well, Tsunayoshi." He answered. "I hope you slept well." He added after a moment. Tsuna could tell he was trying to behave civilly and to make him forget his earlier reaction. It made the brunet smile to see that Mukuro was truly trying, even if he doubted the illusionist would be so polite with the other members. Sharing their pasts had created an odd bond between the two boys, a mutual understanding of sorts, so they both were relatively at ease around each other. Tsuna knew Mukuro wouldn't harm him or his friends if they didn't do anything to threaten the bluenet, while Mukuro knew that Tsuna genuinely wanted to help him.

Tsuna also suspected his Harmony helped set the other at ease. He was almost positive that he had unknowingly created a bond with the Mist-user when they had exchanged their memories -something his Intuition seemed to confirm- and that as a result, he was in the middle of forging two other bonds with Ken and Chikusa. Not that he regretted it, he would just like to know when and _how_ he created these bonds. Fon had told him that normally, Skies forged bonds with their elements consciously, which was not his case. He didn't have any proof of it, but he was sure that he had an Element bond with Kyoya, Shoichi, Hayato, Lambo, I-pin and even Fon, all of which he only recognized _after_ they had been created. But then again, the Arcobaleno had told him that, as far as he knew, Skies had only one bond with each type of Flame, to a grand total of six. Tsuna had _three_ Storms, and _seven_ bonds now that he included Mukuro, soon to have _nine_.

So yeah, maybe his friends were on to something when they had concluded that he and his Sky Flame were just weird. Just maybe...

Anyway, he had to answer Mukuro, instead of daydreaming. "I have slept like a log, thanks to yesterdays' excitement, thank you. Would have stayed in bed a bit longer if it wasn't my turn to prepare breakfast, actually. And you? Are you always up so early?

"It is necessary when you are on the run, I'm afraid. And it will take time for me to get over that habit. Chikusa and Mukuro, however, seem to fully enjoy the rare luxury that is a real bed. I haven't seen them sleep so long since quite so time ago."

Tsuna could guess that the Mukuro was referring to their time in Lancia's Famiglia, and that it was still a sore subject for the illusionist, so he quickly changed the subject. "I was planning to make pancakes, today, to celebrate the three new arrivals in out little family. Would you mind giving a hand? You will soon have to take turns cooking yourselves, so we'll have to check if you can cook first. It's a security measure we created after Hayato's first feats in the kitchen..."

Mukuro raised a lone eyebrow as a question, but agreed to help. Tsuna gave him instructions, and the bluenet, who had no prior experience in the kitchen, followed. Turned out that Mukuro could follow a recipe with no problem, and should be safe to leave alone in front of an oven. The only small issue was that he was a perfectionist : if the cooking book said '500g of flour', he would spend a ridiculous amount of time weighing the flour and making sure that there were exactly 500g of flour and not a gram more or less. It amused Tsuna to no end to see the feared illusionist Mukuro Rokudo, who had been to hell six times and dragged himself back each time, who had slaughtered not one, but two Mafia Famiglias singlehandedly and who had eluded Vindice ever since grumble and complain that the yolk of the eggs had broken free and mixed with the rest.

Mukuro had inquired as to why he and his two friends (Tsuna always called them that, and the bluenet had given up trying to correct him each time) would need to show their skills in the kitchen. Tsuna had happily related the epic tales of Hayato cooking pasta, or Hayato frying steaks as he and Mukuro rotated to cook the pancakes. The illusionist had gleefully remembered the details to taunt the silveret later. The brunet was just happy that his newest friend (another title Mukuro had given up on changing, Tsuna was way too stubborn. That was the excuse he gave himself at least for not protesting) was interested in his other companions.

Lambo and I-pin were the first to wake up. The boy had a nose for all things sweet that pancakes had obviously tingled, and he must have dragged the girl out of bed with him.

As they entered the kitchen, they sent a wary glance towards Mukuro, since they didn't know what he was doing here; they had been asleep when everything was decided. The bluenet had the decency to look elsewhere to let the afro-haired boy and the Chinese girl pass by him and go to Tsuna. The illusionist really felt guilty about telling Ken to take them hostage and threaten them. He had lived through the Estraneo's experiments, and as one of the oldest test subjects had taken upon himself to manage the younger ones. Innocent kids were to be protected, that was one of the few convictions Mukuro had, and he felt terrible for betraying it.

But unfortunately, Mukuro was not very used to social situations. Or rather, he was unused to being genuine in social situations : he could fake his emotions and blend in flawlessly whenever he wanted, but was unable to be honest when he wanted to.

So he had no idea how to genuinely express his regret to the two kids.

Thankfully, Tsuna understood the situation, and had a much better touch with kids.

"Lambo, I-pin, good morning! Mukuro and I made pancakes today to celebrate his and his friends' arrival in Caeruleus. They will be living with us from today onwards."

The two kids exchanged a questioning glance, and I-pin asked. "Mukuro and friends not bad?"

Tsuna shook his head. "No, he and his two friends Ken and Chikusa were just very lost and didn't know what to do. So they attacked us to get our help, but they regret it now. That's why Mukuro helped make pancakes today : to ask us to forgive them, because they are not very used to being around nice people, so they are not very good at saying what they want and at asking for help. Now, will you two forgive them?"

Another shared glance between the two, and then another half-hidden glance towards Mukuro, who was waiting for his judgment silently in a corner. This time, it was Lambo who answered. "If Pineapple-Head is sorry, then the great Lambo-san will forgive him. And Lambo-san will eat all the pancakes to show it!"

He then rushed to the dining room and started scarfing down the pancakes already placed there. I-pin hurried after him, scolding him about sharing the treats.

Mukuro had cringed lightly when Lambo baptized him with his new nickname, but didn't say anything back. Anyways, he already had unwanted pet-names from the silveret and the raven, he could tolerate another one from a child that meant no harm.

He exchanged a quick glance with a beaming Tsunayoshi before turning away to continue baking his pancakes. He wouldn't -couldn't- say 'sorry' or 'thank you', but it didn't matter. Apparently the Sky was good at reading him and expressing Mukuro's thoughts when he couldn't.


	17. That grew larger with new roads

Another Path Part 17 : That grew larger with new roads

 **Completely forgot to thank all those who still sent comments and read my story last chapter. Panic makes me forget my manners. Sorry, and thank you to you all!**

 **Honestly, I am not satisfied with this chapter, but I have promised one chapter a month, and have kept this one to rewrite it for too long already. So don't be surprised if it is not as good (or worse) than the others, I know, but I haven't managed to correct that or find out why.**

 **Don't hesitate to send reviews (hint, hint), they definitely help me find inspiration and write faster. And if you have advice to improve my writing to avoid such lousy chapters, please share. I don't mind critics as long as they are constructive or at least not meant to hurt.**

 **One last thing, I don't own KHR, I probably never will, so you can apply this to all future chapters and I won't write it anymore (or forget to write it...). I promise to inform you if a miracle happens and I somehow win the rights, but don't hold your breath.**

While Lambo and I-pin were wolfing down as many pancakes as they could, Tsuna and Mukuro kept baking new ones. The bluenet had warned the other about Ken's bottomless stomach, so they had made a lot more dough to cook.

Minutes later and the other members of Caeruleus appeared one by one. First was Kyoya (Tsuna had sent a mild glare to Mukuro, clearly stating that he would have to wait before taunting the raven), who was _not_ a morning person, and who just glared at the two cooking teens without a word, before making himself some tea, hesitating briefly, and finally decided that eating the delicious looking pancakes topped showing his dislike of the illusionist by refusing his food. And so, without having ever said a word, the raven took a plate, filled it with a copious amount of pancakes and headed to the dining room to eat besides the two kids.

Kyoya was always a delight when he just woke up...

Ken and Chikusa were the next visitors in the kitchen. Tsuna suspected they had waited for the other to rise before heading out as in 'numbers'. Judging from Mukuro's knowing smirk, he had the same opinion.

The two were wary of the food (although Ken was literally drolling at the smell) until their leader had mercy and admitted to helping cooking them. All suspicion disappeared at once and they jumped at the food, being unused to having so much available. Tsuna gently guided them towards the dining room, each of them had a full plate in their hands, and as such, completely willing to follow the brunet.

This time, Lambo and I-pin greeted the two newest members. They had quickly bounced back from yesterday's events (the two were both tough kids) and had been drilled for hours by Tsuna and Shoichi on proper manners (neither wanted them to end up as rude as Hayato or Kyoya, for all that they loved the two). Also, if their Tsuna-nii had told them that the newcomers were actually OK, that meant they were.

Chikusa and Ken looked mildly uncomfortable and unsure at the blatant display of trust, but the presence of warm and appetizing food was quick to make them relax.

Despite his rather large helping, Lambo had made short work of his first serving of pancakes and was eying Chikusa's -who was directly in front of him- but was still a bit too wary of the yoyo-wielder to ask a share (and too lazy to just return to the kitchen to get some more). The silent youth quickly noticed -he was used to Ken's hungry stares at his own food- and took the opportunity to extend a proper peace offering in the shape of three pancakes.

Needless to say that he was instantly among Lambo's favorite big brothers and earned the nickname of Chi-nii.

I-pin was fast to follow her friend's lead and the two children were soon questioning the teen on his life -and on his weird tattoo on his cheek, although I-pin had enough tact to stop inquiring after she noticed his discomfort, and smacked Lambo on the head when he was being too insistent.

Seeing that the two kids were friendly (and maybe taking pity on his comrade who was crumbling under well-meaning but overly curious questions), Ken decided to step in the conversation. Three minutes later, and he and Lambo were partaking in friendly teasing and competing over the new pancakes placed on the table by a beaming Tsuna and a bemused Mukuro, who couldn't remember seeing his companions so relaxed since they had left Lancia's Famiglia.

When Shoichi entered the dining room, he was met with the sight of Chikusa and I-pin chatting (how they communicated, between I-pin's fragmented Italian and Chikusa's few words, he had no idea), Ken engaged in a tickling fight with a laughing Lambo and Kyoya, sulking in a dark corner with a large cup of tea and an empty plate.

"They look like they have fitted in in no time at all..." Came the wry voice of Hayato behind him. From his bed-hair, the silveret had just woken up as well. "But where did these bastards get those pancakes?" He added after a hungry glance towards I-pin's half eaten share and the four other empty plates.

Following the mouth-watering smell led them to the kitchen, where they spotted the Pineapple-Head and Tsuna finishing the dough. Next to them were two towering piles of pancakes.

"Hayato, Shoichi!" Greeted the brunet. You'd think Christmas came early, what with the grin he had plastered on his face. "Mukuro helped me make pancakes! Come on, now that we're done, let's go eat with everyone!"

All three teens got swiped in the Sky's cheer, and found themselves in front of a warm plate of pancakes each, with an over-excited brunet offering them maple syrup or liquid chocolate. Hayato didn't have the time to send a jibe to the bluenet, and even when he attempted to throw one, a mere warning glance from his Tsuna-san was enough to shut him up.

Of course, the -relative- calm of the house couldn't last forever.

Once every stomach was full (which took longer than you'd expect, Ken had an appetite to rival Lambo's and he was taller...), and more importantly, once mouths were empty, conversations started.

"If it's like that every day, we're gonna stay here forever, byon!"

"Hey, you mutt, don't get too used to this! Tsuna-san won't cook for your ass everyday, you'll have to pull your weight from now on!" Screamed Hayato, always so quick to anger.

"Oya, no need to get so worked up." Mukuro stepped in with a devious smirk. "You don't have to be so defensive : your spot as number one lap dog is safe."

The silveret started sputtering incoherently, so Shoichi tried to calm everyone down. "Please, don't start fighting." He muttered so low it was a wonder the others heard him. "We should all try to get along if we are to live together..."

"We didn't all agree to that." Snorted Kyoya, who hadn't said a word since he woke up. "I didn't agree to house the Pineapple Herbivore and his two goons. I'd rather have bitten them all to death when they arrived and be done with this." He tilted his head menacingly. "I can still do it."

"Please, sit down Kyoya. And Mukuro, stop rilling Hayato up, you're both scaring the kids." Tsuna gestured at Lambo and I-pin who had gone very still once the shouting started and had leaned closer to Chikusa, who had remained silent and composed. At least this relationship seemed to be steady. "If we are to live together, as Shoichi said, we're going to need to find a way to communicate without being at each others' throats constantly."

"I don't see how it's going to work." Sneered Hayato. "Those three are obviously not thankful enough of the risk we're putting ourselves under. They are targeted by the bloody _Vindice_ for fuck's sake!"

"And I won't tolerate disrespectful Herbivores in my turf." Added Kyoya with a bloodthirsty glare. The threatening aura he gave off wasn't even dented by Hibird's cries of 'Bite to death! Bite to death!' on his head.

"Maybe I'll have to show you who's the new alpha, then, little Birdie, and Lap Dog." Taunted Mukuro, materializing his trident, while Ken got in a fighting stance. The raven pulled out his tonfas and Hayato his dynamite sticks in response. "Or if you're too thick headed to understand that, perhaps I should just end you both. I would be doing this place a favor by ridding it of..."

The illusionist never got to finish his threat, as a powerful -and irate- wave of Sky Flames flooded the room. They weren't meant to harm, but were imposing enough to shut everyone up and have them turn to stare -with various degrees of fear- to the silently fuming brunet at the end of the table.

"Since you can't seem to be in the same room without throwing death threats at each others, I guess it's time we do a proper visit of the house. That way, you can try and kill each other in the training room _without_ destroying the rest of the building in the process and harming those of us who don't want to take part in you little pissing contest." He said in the most chilly voice the others had ever heard from him. The fact that his eyes were burning orange with cold, repressed Sky Flames and that the usually polite brunet used crude language didn't help the shivers wracking their spines either.

"Now, if you people would _please_ follow me and try not to brutally murder each other for a few minutes."

Properly cowed by the suddenly terrifying boy, the trigger-happy members of Caeruleus followed in silence as Tsuna went to the back of the shop (Mukuro, Chikusa and Ken had already been introduced to the 'Office', the kitchen, and obviously the dining room), while Chikusa and Shoichi followed, with I-pin and Lambo in their respective arms. The Sky showed once again where the two bathrooms and the newcomers' rooms were located, and enjoined them to decorate and furnish as they wanted. He also told them they were free to grow whatever they wanted in the small garden that wasn't currently anyone's territory, and that the private living room was only for when Caeruleus was closed, or else they had to be someone in the Office to welcome customers.

He then detailed which of the remaining rooms belonged to who. While indicating Lambo and I-pin's room, he made a mental note to have more bedrooms built (and another bathroom) in the future. With the rate at which they collected members, they would need some, and he wanted I-pin to have her own room for when she grows up without having to share. He carefully explained that the three new members were welcomed to come into Tsuna's or Shoichi's rooms if the had something to ask, but shouldn't go visit the others.

Then he led his little group of tourists to the basement.

While Mukuro and Ken were ecstatic to see the training rooms and learn that those had been reinforced to resist most damage, the three outlaws were much more wary of the labs.

"We don't conduct any human experimentation there, I can promise you that." Said Tsuna in a much more soothing tone that he had used a minute ago. All his anger had faded at the reminder of what he had seen in Mukuro's memories. "They are mostly used for tests on Flames, and we always make sure that no-one gets hurt. But Shoichi and Hayato could probably explain this to you better than me. The labs are their lair after all." He turned to the red-head, as he wasn't too sure the bomber would remain calm speaking to Mukuro.

"Oh, yes, yes!" Sputtered Shoichi, who hadn't expected to be given the spotlight so suddenly. "We're trying to understand how Flames work better, and how to improve their effectiveness. In fact, we would love to check your Flames, Mukuro, as we don't have any Mists, and you two are also welcome to participate. But only if you want to of course!" He suddenly waved his hands in front of him, having only just remembers what Tsuna had said about their pasts when he saw them cringe at the idea. "We won't force you if you don't want to!"

"But we can also help if you want to train with your Flames or get a better control of them." Intervened Tsuna, before the inventor could embarrass himself further. "By the way, do you all know your Flame type, and do you have secondary Flames?" He saw Kyoya regain interest in the discussion at once, always eager for anything fight related. Besides him, Hayato had turned to his 'scholar mode'.

Mukuro seemed to hesitate for a second before answering. "As you have seen, I have Mist Flames, and no secondary type."

Following his lead, Chikusa added. "I have Rain Flames, and Ken has Sun." He diligently ignored Ken's screams of outrage at the reveal of his own abilities. "But Ken and I can't use them very effectively in a fight."

"We can help, if you want." Offered Tsuna, choosing not to turn to see the hungry gleam he knew would be in Shoichi's and Hayato's eyes. A Mist and a Rain that was the main type, their research could advance by leaps and bounds if the two decided to participate. "We all have active Flames here, and are all able to use them to a degree."

"Lambo-san has the best Flames of them all!" Squealed the child who had left Shoichi's arms a while ago. "They are all sparkly and a pretty green!"

"You have Lightning Flames?" Inquired Mukuro. He had thought that the child's use of them during their first encounter had been subconscious, as is often the case in matters of life an death. He hadn't expected the boy to be able to channel them on purpose.

"Yep! Look at the Great Lambo-san!" Screamed the cow-child before closing his eyes and focusing with a frown. Soon after that, tendrils of green lightning erupted from his body, and the others took a step back. Thankfully, I-pin -who was used to such displays- got the presence of mind to kick her friend with a Storm-coated foot.

"Lambo bad. Must not use Flames so close to people!"

The three newcomers were admittedly startled by the situation, but Tsuna just chuckled. "Don't worry, those two are always like that and don't really hurt each other. As you've seen, Lambo has Lightning Flames, and I-pin had Storm. I've got Sky -but you already knew that. No secondary type. Shoichi has only Sun, and Kyoya only Cloud. Hayato is the only one with secondary Flames. His main is Storm, but he also has Cloud, Sun, Rain and Lightning as well. You're the first Mist we've ever encountered, and the first main Rain -as Hayato has trouble summoning his Rain for extended periods- which explains Shoichi's bout of over-enthusiasm."

"I saw enough of your memories to see you train by yourselves, but I still can't quite get my head around the fact that you have all managed to awaken your Flames. Even five-year-olds..." Muttered Mukuro, still a bit too surprised to keep his usual mask of amused disinterest.

"So you could help us with ours, byon?" Asked Ken wishfully. It should be near impossible to train yourself to the point where your Flames are usable if you have no mentor. Mukuro had been an exception thanks to his paths of reincarnation, but Ken and Chikusa had all but let go of the hope that they would ever master their Sun and Rain Flames.

"Of course! And since Fon visited a while ago, we now even have actual methods of teaching, not just trial and error and Intuition!" Smiled Tsuna, glad to have found a subject that could get all the members of Caeruleus to work together. Even if it was just in the hopes of a better fight afterwards...

()()()()()()

Unsurprisingly, while Chikusa and Ken were immediately working with Shoichi and Hayato respectively to develop their Flames (since it is usually easier to learn with one who has the same Flame type), Mukuro and Kyoya were back to trying to maim each other in the biggest training room. Tsuna was overseeing them to make sure they didn't go _too_ far and the two kids were playing tag all over the house. The company had been closed for a few days to give them all some time to know each other better, and maybe bond a little.

That would also allow the senior members time to assess the strength and weaknesses of the new recruits. There was a lot to check : their ability to cook, to clean, to work with others, what kind of odd jobs they could do on their own from the start, which ones to walk them through, and which ones to make sure they never do at all (for instance, Tsuna would never make them do anything related to experimentation).

Their academical level would also have to be checked. While none of the members went to school (the hours were not compatible with their work, and they wanted to be as untraceable as possible), they all made sure to study in their free time, and went to end-of-the-year exams in a nearby school pretending to be home-schooled. They helped each other stay at the appropriate level for their age, or higher, and they tutored the two youngest.

They had hesitated enrolling Lambo and I-pin at first, but it soon became obvious that the two would have a hard time fitting in with other children their age. They were too mature and had seen too much to blend in with carefree five-year-olds. Not that the others could talk; Tsuna, Shoichi and Hayato were 11, Kyoya and Mukuro were 13, Chikusa and Ken 12. Thankfully, their maturity and behavior (and aura of ruthlessness and blood-thirst for some) made them appear older than they were. Enough to be able to tell adults that they had grown-up guardians looking after them and allowing them to work. It was not really legal, but the papers they had faked, their obvious well-being and their flawless jobs were enough to convince most customers not to report them. Kyoya made sure to 'talk' with the few reluctant ones...

So the three outlaws had to have their knowledge tested, brought to level if needed, then furthered. Tsuna also wanted them to learn Japanese. It was the mother tongue of three of them and they were already helping the others master it. I-pin, Lambo and Hayato had bases, but they were not fluent yet, so they could just add the three newcomers to their lessons.

A resounding crash interrupted Tsuna's musings. Taking a cautious step forward to see what it was about, he witnessed Mukuro's form, embed in the wall. The reinforced wall.

Kyoya must have been more heavy handed than usual.

Stepping forward to pull the bluenet out of the Mukuro-shaped hole in the wall (and to make sure that Kyoya wouldn't keep hitting the other), Tsuna checked him for injuries. Contrary to appearances, the illusionist was pretty tough and only had some bruises.

The tonfa-wielding raven was sporting a very satisfied smirk. He was seemingly somewhat appeased after the beating he inflicted, so Tsuna could only hope that it would reduce the animosity he felt towards the bluenet. Despite what people believed in Namimori, Kyoya didn't really bother keeping a grudge; he made sure you paid for what you did, but once the punishment had been dealt, he wouldn't go out of his way to bite you to death again. Unless it was personal.

And indeed, the raven put away his weapons with little prompting, before turning around and exiting the room, his little smirk still fixed on his face.

"Your attack dog is a real piece of work, Tsunayoshi." Huffed Mukuro once he caught his breath.

"Don't call him that." Chided the brunet. "And you're one to talk, Mukuro. But Kyoya will probably not give you too much trouble from now on. He asserted your strength and 'punished' you appropriately for your actions; he doesn't have any more grudges against you now. So please don't rile him up too much."

"I somehow doubt that he won't attack me anymore after defeating me once."

"Oh, he will attack you again, but Kyoya does that to everyone. It's his way of keeping those close to him safe. He even trained I-pin and Lambo so that they could protect themselves long enough for us to arrive, you saw that yourself." Tsuna gave a small smile at the Mist when he averted his eyes slightly. "Attacking people is Kyoya's way of training them and keeping their senses sharp. We all spar with Kyoya at least once a week -even Shoichi- and he adapts his strength. He's a rather good teacher in his own way. And it allows him to indulge in his love of fighting and violent tendencies..." He added as an afterthought.

"I have a feeling that last part is the most important one." Mocked Mukuro.

"You will see soon enough if that's really the case." Tsuna gave a small laugh. "Kyoya's not a very complicated person, but you have to grasp how he views the world. For him, there are only three kinds of people : those that he cares about, those he wants to utterly destroy -or bite to death, as he would say-, and the rest. That way of seeing things is actually rather close to yours. And in all those categories, you have to distinguish the Carnivores and the Herbivores. In short, the strong and the weak, either due to their strength of character, their influence or their ability to fight.

You're a Carnivore, although he will probably call you a Herbivore for a while because he doesn't like you yet. He wouldn't have fought you so hard if he thought you weak, he knows to hold back depending on the strength of his opponent. Ken and Chikusa are Herbivores due to the way they follow you, it's not an insult, just the way he sees things. The same way Hayato is a Herbivore because he acts as my subordinate. Shoichi is too weak in a fight to qualify as a Carnivore, as are Lambo and I-pin, although that's because of their age. I think I-pin especially is well on her way to becoming a baby Carnivore." Explained Tsuna fondly.

"And what about you?"

"I'm an Omnivore. Powerful, and strong willed, but to soft-hearted to go all the way. You saw how I reacted to Ienobu's murder attempts, well Kyoya disapproves. He would have replied by trying to kill him if he could have. An eye for an eye. Or rather two eyes and a tongue for an eye."

"I can somehow agree with the Birdie about that. You let your twin get away with too much with no consequences."

Tsuna gave a sigh. "I guess that nickname is OK, just don't do worse, please. About Nobu, I don't know how much you saw in my memories, but he was pretty much untouchable. I couldn't do anything to him because it would have exploded in my face, and Kyoya could only get away with his beatings because everyone feared him in Namimori. Anything more and Iemitsu would have been informed, which we couldn't risk."

"Still, you could have made him pay without anyone finding out that it was you." Argued the bluenet.

"With Vongola's resources? I don't think so. But it's nice to know you have so much in common with Kyoya. You two have the exact same opinion about this." Laughed Tsuna, before running out of the training room to avoid the playful wrath of an irate illusionist. Apparently, Mukuro didn't appreciate being compared to the temperamental Cloud...

()()()()()()

It turned out that Lancia's Famiglia had started the education of the three outlaws. They were not yet up to the level of regular 12 and 13-year-olds, but the gap was not as large as Tsuna had feared. And Mukuro and his friends also had plenty of practical knowledge to supplement their limited schooling.

However the best discovery was Ken's affinity with animals. They had lost count of how many jobs Caeruleus received about lost pets, walking dogs and taking care of cats while the owners were away. The problem was that most creatures were afraid of Kyoya (much to his hidden chagrin; Kyoya loved animals, especially small ones like Hibird), Shoichi was scared of anything larger than a chihuahua, Hayato had no clue how to deal with an animal (the logical approach never worked, as cats never replied when he asked if they were hungry...), and Lambo and I-pin were too young to be left alone, or with potentially wild animals.

So Tsuna had been doing all those jobs alone so far, plus all his other duties and contracts. That's why Ken's ability to find, keep, and care for animals was a god-sent.

The three newcomers were also surprisingly competent with children. Apart from spending a lot of time playing with Lambo and I-pin, they were also very appreciated for the few babysitting offers they received. Which lightened Shoichi's and Tsuna's load even more.

Kyoya quickly started weekly spars with all three of them, which cemented their belonging in Caeruleus. The raven also fought with Mukuro on an almost daily basis. Strangely enough, they both were completely fine with smashing and hacking at each other. Tsuna grumbled about 'fighting addicts' every time he caught one of the Suns treating their wounds. At least Shoichi and Ken had plenty of practice in healing...

Hayato was just as quick to snap at them as with the rest, so the others believed that it meant he had accepted the three outlaws. After all, the only ones he really acted different with was Tsuna, whom he saw as his Boss of sorts, and Shoichi, who was his lab-partner. The fact that he finally had a Mist and a main Rain also helped the integration of the three. The silveret and Shoichi could finally experiment on all seven types of Flames, and see how they interacted. The both of them were like kids in a candy shop when they stepped in the lab, and the three newcomers had quickly calmed down around the labs when they realized that the most invasive tests wouldn't go beyond blood sampling.

They had also started including Mukuro, Ken and Chikusa in their Japanese lessons. Lambo was delighted to flaunt his Japanese to the newcomers. I-pin's shaky Italian also improved under Chikusa's guidance, which quite frankly baffled the others. The Rain was one of the less talkative individuals they had ever seen, and that included Kyoya and Shoichi! So how was he sharing his knowledge of Italian? Hayato suspected that he was secretly some kind of UMA.

But as delightful as those days were, they couldn't last forever.


	18. That crossed Vindice

Another Path Part 18 : That crossed Vindice

 **To answer some questions : I intend to alternate 'action' chapters (not necessarily fights, but where the 'plot' advances and new characters are introduced) and slice-of-life chapters (where the characters settle in and interact with each other). There might be 'arcs' that have more of one type, but then there will be more of the other type once they end.**

 **SPOILERS. As for Reborn, he will be introduced _very late_. In the manga, he was the one that directed _all_ the character interaction and development. In this fanfiction, I want the character to build themselves without the all-knowing and omnipotent influence of Reborn. He will appear (I have planned it almost since the beginning of writing), but only after Tsuna & co have met most of the cast.**

 **Which means I fully intend to have Tsuna meet and 'recruit' each of his Guardians, including those in Japan. I know how I will do it too -but I accept suggestions if you have a great idea you want to share, I can reevaluate my plans. So you will see Takeshi and Ryohei.**

 **END OF SPOILERS.**

 **Finally, a great thank you to all those who read, follow and leave a message. I cherish every review and advice you give me.**

It was a day similar to any other when the past of Mukuro's crew caught up to them.

Shoichi had been called away for a system maintenance job, and he had seen fit to bring Lambo and I-pin with him. The company was a regular customer of theirs and the red-head knew them enough to know that they wouldn't have issues with two 5-year-olds tagging along to see how to interact with clients. Plus, the female workers in that company adored the two children, so there was little risk of an incident and it provided valuable social experience for Lambo and I-pin.

Meanwhile, Tsuna, Kyoya, Shoichi, Hayato, Mukuro, Chikusa and Ken were in the Office, working on their schooling. By now, the illusionist was roughly at a normal 11-year-old's level, Chikusa at a 10-year-old's and Ken at a 9-year-old's.

The Sky was in the middle of walking Ken through his math exercises when a shiver ran through his spine. His Intuition was screaming that something dangerous was getting closer. Something abnormal, cold, wrong...

He jumped to his feet. "Something is coming." He warned his friend, who all reached for their weapons at once, and positioned themselves for battle. Tsuna's voice had been too alarmed and urging for this to be anything but an enemy attack.

A dense, gray fog was rising, obscuring the floor and their feet. They all saw Mukuro and his companions freeze and turn as white as a sheet. "Vindice..." Whispered Chikusa, tightening his grip on his yoyos.

Hayato let out a frightened grasp; he had been fed tales of the police of the Mafia since he was a toddler. It was like facing the boogie man. The silveret started inching towards the back door, imitated by the three outlaws.

"It's no use." Tsuna shook his head tensely. "They are too close, it would only make things worse."

"We have to try, byon!" Panicked Ken. He was about to bolt when Kyoya caught him by the collar of his t-shirt and held him in place with a glare.

"Out of the way, you bastard! You have no idea what's coming!" Exploded Hayato, dynamite in hand and ready to throw at the raven's head.

"Stop whining, Herbivores." Growled Kyoya, as Chikusa joined Hayato in trying to intimidate him. Ken was still thrashing in his grip. Strangely enough, the only one apart from Tsuna and Kyoya that was not trying to run was Mukuro. The bluenet, while inwardly terrified, was glancing between the raven and the brunet.

All the while, the mist was thickening and was now reaching their knees. The clock was ticking, and Tsuna knew that -felt it deep in his bones. They had to have at least some sort of plan when Vindice arrived.

"Guys." He began, but his voice was drowned by the yelling. "Guys!" He shouted, adding a hint of Sky Flames. That got him their attention. "We won't be able to avoid them. Our only chance is negotiating our way through this."

"Negotiating?! That's frigging Vindice we're talking about! They don't negotiate, they imprison! No trial, no jury, just a cold cell!" Yelled Hayato. The arrival of his childhood nightmare making him so hysterical that he forgot his usual respect for his Tsuna-san.

"That's still our only option, Hayato, so you're going to have to calm down and face it, or I'm knocking you out so you don't endanger our talking!" Shouted Tsuna back, uncharacteristically harsh. It seemed to shock the silveret so much that he could only stare blankly for a moment before nodding mutely. Ken and Chikusa were also stunned for a second, but got their bearings back quickly and attempted to move Kyoya out of the way once more.

It was Mukuro who managed to make them stop. "If Tsunayoshi says it's useless to run, it's probably true. So cease this and do as you're told. Right now you're only digging our graves." His voice was authoritative, despite the underlying fear. It warmed Tsuna's heart to hear how much the bluenet trusted his judgment.

Chikusa and Ken stilled at their leader's words, so used they were to obeying him.

"Thank you." Tsuna shot to Mukuro with a strained smile before schooling his face again. "So, Mukuro, Chikusa and Ken, you stay behind, near the back door. Kyoya and Hayato, you are behind me. I'm going to try and talk to them before anything happens, so _please_ , stay silent. If it still breaks into a fight, you three" He pointed at the outlaws. "get out of here immediately and regroup with Shoichi. Don't turn back, you're their target, so we're less at risk. Tell Shoichi what happened and disappear together with the kids. Hayato, you leave after them." He saw the silveret was about to interrupt. "Don't argue. You're the only other one here that was in the Mafia at one point; even if you've left, Vindice might still see you as under their authority. Kyoya and me, despite appearances, are the only complete civilians here, they might be more lenient with us. We're also the most accustomed to fighting together, and the most likely to be able to pull off an escape."

"You won't be able to escape! It's the Vindice we're talking about!" Hayato had regained his voice. And his fear. Mukuro had already placed his subordinates at the back of the room, aware that staying in the room could be interpreted as a show of good will, and help negotiations.

"That's not important, right now, Hayato." Replied the Sky in a sooting voice. The Storm needed to calm down if they had a chance to pull this off. "Now, we need a plan, however unlikely to work it might be, so that we know how to react if negotiations fail. So we aren't paralyzed by panic. So, if Vindice still attack us, I damn well expect you, Hayato, but also Mukuro, Ken and Chikusa, to get the hell out of here." Ordered Tsuna with an authority he rarely displayed.

The explosive expert looked at him in the eyes for what seemed like an eternity, before nodding slowly and going to stand a step behind his Sky's right side. It had always been his hope to be a right-hand man to a Boss he respected, he wouldn't let this opportunity slip. Even if Tsuna wasn't Mafia, he was still his Boss, and he needed Hayato right now.

His resolution came not a moment too late, as barely a second later the ominous rattle of chains sounded nearby.

"We want to talk." Announced Tsuna towards the doorway. His voice didn't tremble and he felt a flicker of pride. He _did_ go a long way from the weak child bullied by his younger brother.

Six dark figures that looked like they had emerged from a nightmare appeared at the front door. They wore long tattered black coats, each a little different from the other, probably so they could tell themselves apart. Every inch of their skin was wrapped in white bandages, only letting out some dirty patches of hair around their heads. It was impossible to tell anything about their appearances beneath the white strips of cloth and heavy coat, not even their gender. Thick mist seemed to pour out from between the bandages. And to complete the terrifying picture, they were pulling dark, rusty-looking chains, obviously eager to arrest their targets.

"We are not here to talk." Replied a gravelly voice that chilled Tsuna to the bone. "We are here to capture three criminals. Step aside, civilian child, this is not your problem." One figure, probably the leader, stepped forward, chains at the ready.

"Your information is not accurate. They only protected themselves, you can't blame them or call them criminals for that! Did you even investigate what happened before judging them like that?" Normally, he wouldn't be this confrontational -especially with such sinister people- but his Intuition kept whispering him that his best chance lied in making them drop their accusation by clearing up facts. Fast. He dearly hoped that this wouldn't be the first time his instincts were wrong.

"You know not what this is about, child."Admonished one of the dark figure. He -or was it she, he couldn't tell- had a voice that seemed to echo endlessly.

"I know more than you do at least. I know exactly what happened to Mukuro, Chikusa and Ken."

"Then you should be aware that you are protecting traitors and mass-murderers." Stated the leader. "They have to pay for their crimes."

"The only crimes were those committed against them! Where were you when the Estraneo experimented on them, treated worse than guinea pigs? Or when Lancia's Famiglia plotted to use Mukuro and dispose of Ken and Chikusa, only because they were less powerful? Why did you only react after they managed to get free on their own, and why did you go after them when they obviously are victims?"

"What occurs inside a Famiglia is none of our concern." Replied the dark figure the most to the left. "We only intervene for matters between Famiglias or when Mafiosi come in contact with civilians. By those rules, you harboring the three runaways only adds to the charges against them. They are still criminals."

"Only because you made them! They wouldn't have needed to find refuge with us if you were not hunting them. And by the way, now that they are members of Caeruleus -and have been for two weeks- they are not Mafiosi anymore. Our company makes sure to avoid illegal jobs as much as possible. Finally, if your laws don't protect innocent children, whose only wrong had been to have been born in the Mafia, then your laws are worthless and useless. And if they don't defend victims -which means they have to break your laws to protect themselves -and you actually charge them once they do, then your laws are also completely stupid!"

His ranting had almost turned into a yell at the end. However, it seemed to have fulfilled its purpose as the members of Vindice were left completely speechless. Tsuna mused that people must not argue so strongly all that often with them. His friends probably agreed with that, given the bewildered stares the brunet could feel on his back. The Sky just couldn't tell if it was shock or disapproval. Likely a mix of both.

The leader of the Vindice team eventually shook himself -herself?- out of his -Tsuna decided to all call them 'him' until proven otherwise because it was simpler- stupor. "What proof do you have of the innocence of Mukuro Rokudo, Chikusa Kakimoto and Ken Joshima?" His tone was much less patronizing than before. They were finally willing to reconsider.

"Mukuro and I exchanged memories. The murders were purely self-defense and they even spared Lancia. He was the only member of his Famiglia not part or aware of their manipulations. That is all the proof I have, and all I need. What is your proof of their guilt?" Challenged Tsuna. He knew he was pushing his advantage, but his Intuition was encouraging him.

Thankfully, the bandaged leader answered. "We received word from another Famiglia. They were the first on site each time and discovered the crime scene. They identified the culprits with what remained of the video surveillance."

The brunet had no trouble picturing Mukuro mentally scolding himself for leaving usable evidence. "Which Famiglia?" He asked nonetheless. He had a feeling this would be important.

"Vongola. Which is why we didn't verify their claims. They are usually trustworthy and denounced Mukuro Rokudo, Ken Joshima and Chikusa Kakimoto twice. They never mentioned anything about them being victims."

Tsuna was shaking his head dejectedly, muttering that 'of course it had to be Vongola'. It was like he would never escape them completely... With a final shake, he raised his head to look his interlocutor in the eyes. Or where he figured his eyes were. "Then you ought to investigate yourselves. Vongola has either accidentally or knowingly overlooked the actions of both destroyed Famiglias."

The leader seemed to think for a moment before nodding slowly. "It is a fair request. We will look ourselves into this matter. However, we will have to -at least temporarily, depending on our conclusions- to take the three suspects in our custody. They can not be allowed to escape if they are proven guilty."

Tsuna could physically feel the three runaways tense behind him at the mere idea of being detained in Vendicare. "Can you not let them wait here for your judgment? I can vouch for them staying here."

"You are a civilian and a child. You have no authority or guaranty to offer."

The Sky hesitated for all of half a second before putting forward his next argument. He deeply disliked admitting it out loud to members of the Mafia (which Vindice was, despite their special status), but he would always put the wellbeing of his friends before his own reluctance. "I myself might not be a Mafioso, but my father is. Iemitsu Sawada is the current head of CEDEF. Can that be counted as anything?"

He was sure that he would have seen six pairs of eyebrows rise if not for the bandages. "You are the older son of the Young Lion of the Vongola." One figure stated rather than asked. "Your father started a worldwide search for you when you disappeared a month ago. He believed you to have been abducted."

Tsuna snorted loudly, and he head a similar sound come from Kyoya and Mukuro behind him (those two _really_ had more in common that they were willing to admit). He couldn't help it : it had been much longer than a month since he had left Namimori. "I left my old house of my own volition, I assure you. And it has been almost a year and a half since I arrived in Italy. It just took that long for my mother and younger brother to bother informing others, my father included. But that's beyond the point. Does my father's job constitute enough guaranty, and will you report my location to him despite my will?"

This time, the six men -or women- took the time to consult each other before answering. Tsuna used to opportunity to send a calming smile to his friends, especially to the three still-outlaws. Hayato also looked like he would be sick any second now, so he only managed back a stiff, wide-eyed nod. The others sent back crooked smiles or approving nods despite their unease.

The leader eventually moved to face Tsuna. "We will not report your location, as your departure was willing and we don't answer to Vongola or CEDEF. We will also allow the three suspects to remain here during the investigation, provided you undertake a specific Flame-based contract. If any of the suspects run away, you will however be imprisoned as well for helping them escape." Tsuna nodded, he could live with that. "You also ought to know that this favor is not granted due to your father's occupation, but rather due to your ancestry. The Vindice had respect and good relations with Vongola Primo."

That surprised Tsuna. Not that he was related to the founder of Vongola -he already knew that thanks to the data provided by the Hibari clan- but that Vindice respected Giotto enough to compromise with his many-times great-grandson. Even if said descendant wanted nothing to do with the Mafia. And it seemed odd that the so-called 'police of the Mafia' to put so much importance in bloodlines. But he wouldn't look a gifted horse in the mouth. "Thank you. What exactly is this Flame-based contract?"

"We will infuse some of our special Flame into your arm. That way, we will be able to locate you at any given time. We would offer to use it on the suspects, but it requires the contractor to have active Sky Flames."

"How do you know I have active Sky Flames? And that Mukuro, Chikusa and Ken don't? Inquired Tsuna with a frown. He would be in trouble if anyone could tell so easily.

"It is partly due to our specific type of Flame. You needn't worry, only Vindice can tell that your Flames are active without you summoning them. As for the type, Skies are extremely rare and most active ones are known by us, so it is unlikely that any of the three suspects is a Sky. You, however, look very much like Vongola Primo, and his line is renown for only producing powerful Skies. The fact that you are surrounded by and speaking for obviously clashing personalities adds to the theory that you are a Sky, and have bonded with them -which explains why they follow your lead. It is highly unlikely that you are anything but a Sky, and I would wager that you are a powerful one, given your lineage and the loyalty your Elements show. However, were we not able to sense that you have already summoned your Flame, we would assume that your are much too young to have activated them."

Tsuna nodded, reassured that his ties to the Mafia couldn't be exposed so stupidly. "That's good to know, thank you. You were explaining the contract..." He prompted.

"The process of injecting our Flame is painful, but the pain stops as soon as the contract is finalized. It leaves a mark on the skin that is only visible when you or a member of Vindice applies Flames to it, otherwise, there is no trace of it to be seen. Know that we can still track you even when it is hidden, and that only a member of Vindice can remove it." The man paused, allowing the information to sink in. "Do you still agree to the contract?"

Tsuna nodded immediately. Anything to avoid imprisonment to the three runaways. The Vindice were right, he had bonded with all three of them -although he still felt closer to Mukuro than he did to Chikusa and Ken- and as such felt responsible for their well-being. "I do. Can you perform it right now?"

The leader nodded and offered a bandaged hand. Tsuna put his right forearm in it, steeling himself for the expected pain.

Some kind of black fire erupted from the Vindice's hand, spiraling around the brunet's limb, but not touching him yet.

"Do you agree to take responsibility for the suspects Mukuro Rokudo, Ken Joshima and Chikusa Kakimoto?" Came the gravely voice of the cloaked man. Tsuna replied that he did. "Do you agree to ensure they remain around you until the end of our investigation, no matter our conclusions, and not to attempt escaping, under penalty of imprisonment?"

"I agree." Confirmed Tsuna. At that moment, the dark Flame finally touched his forearm and started to sink into his skin. It hurt, a lot, but not like he was getting burnt, as he had expected. In fact, it felt more as if someone was stabbing his arm with tiny icicles. He let out a strangled scream, which prompted his friends behind him to step forward to support him.

The sealing of the contract was mercifully short. A handful of seconds later the pain suddenly vanished, leaving the brunet wobbly on his knees. Kyoya, who was the closest, quickly braced him from behind, shortly after followed by Hayato.

Tsuna couldn't avert his eyes from his right arm. Instead of the unmarked skin he was used to was now some kind of tattoo. Black chains were drawn winding around the length of his forearm, like an odd bracelet. And it slowly started fading even as he watched it.

"It will become visible again if you summon your Flame on it." The voice of the Vindice leader interrupted his stunned observation. And indeed, when Tsuna called his orange Flames, the black drawn chains appeared again, only to fade anew a few seconds after he stopped supplying his Flames.

Somewhere in the back of his head, the brunet thought that Shoichi and Hayato would have a blast studying that.

The Vindice were already leaving, he realized with a start, as they had nothing more to do here for now. Only the leader was lingering, apparently waiting for Tsuna to focus back on him. Once that was the case, he started talking again. "We will return in about a month with our verdict on the case of Mukuro Rokudo, Ken Joshima and Chikusa Kakimoto. Neither they nor you are to attempt to run away, or you will be immediately be judged guilty and imprisoned upon capture in Vendicare. If circumstances force you to move, apply your Flames to your proof of contract for one minute and a member of Vindice will come and register your change of location. We will see ourselves again in a month. I bid you well."

After those last parting words, he seemed to glide towards the exit, chains dragging behind him ominously. The oppressive atmosphere seemed to vanish abruptly, and all the members of Caeruleus felt weak at once, like the strings keeping them upright had been cut.

"You fucking did it..." Muttered Hayato incredulously. "You negotiated with Vindice." And Tsuna shivered at the sight of the worshiping glint in the silveret's eyes. There went all the progress he had made about Hayato's awed attitude towards him...


	19. That ran under a new sky

Another Path Part 19 : That ran under a new sky

 **Sorry for the lateness (no-one has corrected me yet on the use of that word so I'm going to assume it really exists) of this chapter, but once again I wasn't satisfied by it and it is a bit shorter than usual.**

 **I was glad to know that the last part with Hayato amused many of you, I had not planned it at first but it just suited the character so perfectly and it broke the tension of the previous chapter so well that I couldn't resist.**

 **This time, a character no-one expected (or else you failed to mention it in your reviews ;)) and some talk about a detail that seriously bothered me in the manga once I noticed it.**

All things considered, Tsuna believed that it had been much easier to persuade Vindice to properly investigate than convincing Shoichi that they would be fine and that it would be ill-advised to pack their things and try to disappear.

When the red-head had returned from his job with I-pin and Lambo, he had immediately sensed the tenseness in the air and had demanded to know what he had missed. A hasty report later and they had a hysterical inventor to calm down.

Eventually, they managed to make Shoichi understand that attempting an escape would not only be doomed to failure, but would land Tsuna in prison and would cast serious doubts on the innocence of Mukuro, Ken and Chikusa. Their best bet was on Vindice's integrity and investigating abilities or they could hope that they worked better than Vongola. The Sky still wasn't sure if such oversight was on purpose or if the largest Famiglia had wanted to get rid of a possible future threat. He had shared his doubts with his friends; Shoichi didn't believe that they could have done that to three abused children, but all the others (minus Lambo and I-pin who had left to play in their room) had a more jaded outlook. There were few things Mafia wouldn't lower itself to in order to destroy a potential enemy. And Mukuro had admitted that some of the security records probably showed him promising to destroy the whole Italian Underworld...

But calming Shoichi down had only been the second highest problem -for Tsuna at least. After Vindice's departure, Hayato had pretty much started worshiping the ground the brunet stepped on. He had stars in his eyes every time he even thought about his Boss who, frankly, found it quite disturbing. Tsuna had tried to work on the silveret's adulation, like he had done when he had recruited him. Unfortunately, this didn't work as well as the first time and Hayato still seemed to think the sun rose and set on his command. The most he had accomplished was to have the Storm stop singing his praise out loud. Most of the time...

So apart from this little issue, Caeruleus continued its activities as it had before as best as they could . And as expected, Shoichi and Hayato spent quite a lot of their free time studying the mark of contract on Tsuna's arm.

()()()()()()

Four days after Vindice's little visit, things had more or less already returned to normal. With the beginning of April and the warmer weather, they started receiving several jobs from people wanting to get their gardens into shape. As such, Chikusa -who had discovered a talent for gardening in the small backyard of the house- had a lot to do, as did Ken, Shoichi and Hayato who used their Sun Flames to discreetly boost the growth of the plants and practice their control.

Presently all four of them were away to help people with their gardens, Kyoya was in the neighboring dojo to teach -read 'painfully beat into them'- the basics of self-defense and Tsuna had just returned from delivering a translated document. Lambo and I-pin were with Kyoya, playing around the dojo (and helping the raven demonstrate their weakness to those attending his lessons. After all, how strong could you be if you were defeated by two innocent-looking five-year-olds?).

That left Tsuna with Hayato and Mukuro to hold down the fort. While waiting for clients, they had decided to practice their Japanese. The illusionist had been faster than his two comrades in learning the language, so he now had more lessons with Hayato than with I-pin and Lambo. The bluenet had admitted that witnessing Tsuna's memories had helped him greatly; indeed, in one's mind, it was the understanding of the words that was transmitted to the viewer, not their sounds. So language was not an obstacle in mind-reading, and instead gave the observer some basic understanding of the tongue.

At this point, both Hayato and Mukuro could handle regular conversation in Japanese, so Tsuna was focusing on expending their vocabulary and working on their accent. They were seated in the Office, in case customers arrived.

As such, they were not surprised to hear the bell at the door ring and waisted no time in stopping their studying. What did surprise them however, was the appearance of the client. They were used to middle-aged to elderly people, most of them rather common-looking. That was definitely not the case with this one.

This customer was much younger than usual. Tsuna estimated him to be only a couple years older than Kyoya or Mukuro, so around 15. He was also very eye-catching. His hair was messy and bright white. He had startling lavender eyes with a similarly colored tattoo under his left eye. It looked like three thin triangles stuck together and pointing down. He was sporting a mischievous grin for some reason. Even his clothes were unusual : blinding white trousers and jacket with silver and light purple highlights.

Tsuna could tell right away that he spelled trouble. But then again, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing : all of his friends' aura spelled trouble in one way or another, even meek Shoichi, the bully-magnet and too curious for his own good.

Might as well give this new weirdo a chance to say what he wanted.

"Welcome to Caeruleus" He stated the little speech he gave to every new client. "We do any legal job, provided it is within our abilities and we agree on a price. Are you here for a specific job or just to see how our company works?" They did receive a few curious people who were only here to see how a company allegedly ran by kids worked. The members were always polite with those not-quite-clients (or as polite as they could...) because they were usually the ones who spread their reputation the most. They were so intrigued by the company that they spoke about it all around them.

But this time, the white haired teen just stretched his smile further and shook his head. "Hello there!" He chirped cheerfully. "You're right, I'm not here to hire you, but I'm also not really here just to look around. I was wondering if you would take me as a part-timer." He tilted his head slightly to the left and tried to pull off an innocent/harmless puppy face. It failed quite spectacularly; his smile a tad bit too predatory and unhinged for it to work.

The others in the room just blinked wordlessly at the unexpected request. The thought of hiring others had never even crossed their minds for several reasons. First, that would usually mean hiring an adult, and they all adamantly refused to have a grown-up here constantly who would try to dictate their behavior because he's older or even make them close their company. Second, it wasn't a very glamorous job most of the time, so they never imagined that someone would volunteer for it. Third, their company wasn't exactly legal, as it hired children (although completely willingly and they had no other better place to go to). They couldn't just post an announce with an offer. Finally, despite them all enjoying their current lifestyle more than their previous circumstances, few would agree to let everything down (previous job, schooling or any other occupation) to spend large amounts of time with their strange group of miscreants. Also, the teen in front of them looked way too well-off to need to work here like they did.

"And pray tell, why would you want to work here?" Inquired Mukuro suspiciously, while Hayato and Tsuna regained their bearings. "And I believe it is polite to introduce yourself first, especially if you are postulating for a job."

The unknown teen only grinned wider. Tsuna thought it showed too much teeth for it to look anything but deranged. "My bad, my bad. I'm Byakuran Gesso, at your service. I heard a lot about your company and it seemed interesting. I am _sooooo_ bored lately, I thought it would be fun. Don't worry, I'll still work seriously if you hire me."

Since stating his name, he had only looked at Tsuna and almost ignored the other two. It was a bit creepy, not only because of the almost hunger in his eyes, but because he acted like he knew the brunet was the decision-maker of the group. But due to his appearance -and his friends' threatening demeanor- almost nobody believed him to be the leader at first.

"You do know what Caeruleus does, right?" Asked Tsuna when it became obvious that this Byakuran expected a reply from him. He ignored Hayato's muttering about a 'white UMA' with long practice. "As I said earlier, we only accept legal jobs, most of them quite dull and boring. If we hire you, you will be expected to perform those jobs the same as any other member. You're OK with that? It won't be very exciting, you know."

The other gave him a knowing grin. "I know, but it's not the jobs I'm counting on to alleviate my boredom. I'm actually looking forward to the interactions with my colleagues." He seemed amused, as though laughing to a private joke. "From what I've heard, that should prove to be _very_ entertaining."

Tsuna, Mukuro and Hayato exchanged wary looks. No one should be so happy to spend time in the same space as their merry band of crazies. At least the guy had the required amount of insanity himself to apply. Still, they couldn't deny that an extra hand would be useful (and they had no illusion that they could easily find someone that would fit in with the rest of them). The amount of job offers had increased a lot lately and they also needed time to care about their education.

The silveret and bluenet just shrugged and let Tsuna make the decision. _He_ was their leader after all, so if it allowed _them_ to skip on the annoying choices...

The Sky sighed and dropped his shoulders slightly. He couldn't think of anything to refuse this Byakuran. And the teen was right, just being around them would be entertaining, as long as he wasn't too fond of the idea of living or of peace. A quick check with his Hyper Intuition didn't reveal anything dangerous about the new guy, although it did give him an odd tickling impression. Nothing alarming, just unusual.

"Alright." He nodded. "We'll hire you for three weeks for now and assess your work. We'll decide after that if you can stay or not." It seemed fair to Tsuna. Byakuran would have a chance, and could be fired if his work wasn't satisfactory (in case he was only here to fool around). They could also let him go before Vindice returned if needed. The teen wouldn't be in contact with the Mafia that way. "You will be paid proportionally to the amount of time you spend here during the next three weeks. Is that alright with you?" The brunet extended his hand.

The other grinned even wider -although a genuine glint of happiness shone in his eyes- and shook Tsuna's hand energetically. "Deal! I wasn't here for the money anyway. I look forward to working with you Tsunayoshi-kun! With you too Hayato-kun and Mukuro-kun, and all the others!" He pulled something from his pocket. "Want some marshmallows?"

"Um, no thank you, Byakuran-kun." Said Tsuna, briefly reverting to his Japanese speech patterns. And how did the newbie know their names? He didn't remember any of them introducing themselves. "How did you know our names if you don't mind me asking? And how did you know to add Japanese suffixes? It's not very common in Italy to know Japanese, although I guess your name is Japanese. But then again, your surname sound very Italian." He mused out loud.

Byakuran just laughed. "I lived in Japan until I was adopted by an Italian couple touring the country when I was six. I still remember my mother-tongue. I heard of your names when I heard of your company." Mukuro noted that he didn't mention the name of his source, and that he called Tsuna 'Tsunayoshi', which almost nobody did, especially not clients who often had problems pronouncing the long name, but the illusionist said nothing. He had no concrete reason to be suspicious apart from the bad vibe he got from Byakuran. But he reassured himself by thinking that the teen would eventually let something slip if he was a threat of any kind, and Mukuro could 'deal' with him then.

But the white-haired male was still speaking. "Besides, aren't most of _your_ names Japanese too? I mean 'Tsunayoshi', 'Hayato', 'Mukuro', 'Kyoya', 'Ken', 'Chikusa' and 'Shoichi' don't sound very Italian to me. And neither does 'I-pin', which looks Chinese. Isn't Lambo the only one with an Italian sounding name here?"

OK, this time Tsuna was officially worried of the knowledge Byakuran had of his friends. He even somehow looked as if he was _familiar_ with those names, which was even creepier. Honestly, if Tsuna had sensed even a hint of deception or ill-will in the teen, he would have immediately thrown him out.

That being said, he was also curious as to why so many of his friends had Japanese names.

"Yeah..." He began, turning slowly towards his two companions. "Kyoya, Shoichi and I are Japanese, I-pin is Chinese, so our names make sense. But why do you two, Ken and Chikusa have Japanese names as well?"

Mukuro seemed uncomfortable about the subject -although he hid it well- and Hayato was fidgeting. "Well... You see, Tsuna-san, it was my half-Japanese mother who chose my first name. It was the only decision they allowed her to make about me. And I took her surname when I ran away from my father..." He was looking everywhere but at Tsuna, and it was blatantly obvious how much he disliked speaking of his father. The Sky went to gently pat him on the arm to convey his understanding while turning towards Mukuro to hear his answer.

The bluenet's voice was carefully blank. "The family Ken, Chikusa an I came from married most of its women with men from different origins and countries to try to have 'stronger' children... The names of said children were decided by their fathers. In our case, the fathers were Yakuzas, so they were Japanese." He also refused to look anyone in the eye after that revelation.

Tsuna could guess from what he had seen in the illusionist's past that the complete truth was a bit more gruesome than Mukuro was willing to admit -especially in front of a weird stranger. He felt terrible for even talking about the subject. "Sorry for asking." He apologized with a brief touch to the Mist's shoulder, the only soothing gesture the proud illusionist would accept.

The heavy silence weighed on them for a few moments longer before Byakuran spoke again.

"Wow, that was dark. Sorry for bringing it up." He thought for a second before a smile popped back on his face, although dimmer than before. "I know! Now that I'm officially hired, why don't you give me a tour of this place and an overview of my future duties?" It was a blatant change of subject, but it was welcome.

"Sure, I'll do it. Hayato, Mukuro, why don't you continue talking with each other in Japanese while I take him to visit the rest of the house?"

Tsuna had just finished showing Byakuran the Office, kitchen and dining room and was about to show the rooms when a thought hit him. "Wait a minute, we have no free room left! You won't have a place to stay here!"

Byakuran just laughed -Tsuna was starting to thing that that reaction and his nearly insane grin that he hadn't dropped for a while now hinted at some sort of mental disorder. Not like he would be the first member of Caeruleus with psychological issues though. "It's fine. I have a place for myself to stay for now. But it would be nice to have a room here eventually. Can't you evict someone else? No? Oh, don't look at me like that, I was only joking. I came here because all of you are interesting, there's no point if I have to make some of you leave. But you might recruit other people later, you know, so you should have new rooms made, Tsunayoshi-kun." He tilted his head to the right with a pensive face. It looked way too artificial if you asked Tsuna. "You know what, Tsunayoshi-kun, I know the boss of a construction company that owes me and my family a huge debt. Why don't I call him and ask him to build you another floor with lots of bedrooms and maybe a few bathrooms? All for free, you'll just have to tolerate the construction crew and noises for a couple months." He looked expectantly at Tsuna.

It was obvious to the brunet that Byakuran had planned this all along. The conversation felt too scripted and the coincidence of the teen knowing someone who could build rooms immediately and for free was too big. But his Intuition still didn't detect any trick : the offer was genuine. Plus, they _could_ use more bedrooms for potential new additions (at the rate he was recruiting, Tsuna had no illusion that there probably would be more weirdos moving in before it was over) and it could give a proper bedroom to I-pin, who was currently still rooming with Lambo. The were both fine with it for now, but it would be best if they had some privacy when they grow up.

The Sky looked shrewdly at Byakuran for a moment, debating his answer. The teen looked at him expectantly with a large grin that was fast becoming his trademark. Tsuna eventually heaved a sigh. "You know what, do what you want. If the company you're speaking of can really build us new rooms soon and for free, then please contact them. You will of course receive one of the new rooms."

Byakuran cheered loudly with a victorious grin, and the visit continued. Tsuna was reluctant to showing the basement to the white-haired male. At least not while he was not a proper member. So he just said that there were labs and training rooms downstairs and specifically forbade Byakuran from going there for now. He didn't give more details and the other didn't ask for any, although he did give the brunet that knowing smile that had Tsuna thinking that he was aware of more than he let on. Still, they couldn't risk the teen discovering the existence of Flames if he was to leave them soon. Vindice especially would not appreciate that.

Tsuna willfully ignored the ringing of his Intuition that told him that there was nothing to fear on that front...

 **And now a little game (because it boosts reviews like nothing else ;) ). Which character or characters (they have to fit together in that case, like Mukuro, Chikusa and Ken) do you think will appear next? I have already planned it, so you won't change the story, but I'd like to read you opinions and reasons. I will post the names of those that guessed right next time. Thanks again for reading!**


	20. That contracted with strange customers

Another Path Part 20 : That contracted with strange customers

 **Hey, sorry for the late chapter. I was busy trying to find a room, and then going back and forth between my home and university for a while. Didn't have much time to write or the mood for it, but everything is now settled, I'll continue my normal schedule. In fact, I might post a bit more often now, we'll see.**

 **As promised, here are the names of those that guessed the new character(s) correctly : battle manga, Silentreader, setokayba2n and KITSUNE TAKAHARI. Don't flame me if I have missed your name or misspelled it, please, just tell me and I'll correct it.**

 **And for those who are asking, no I don't plan on any pairing for this story, apart from a few canon ones MAYBE. Like, I don't see how I could not write Colonello with Lal, but don't count on a romance (one-sided or not) between Tsuna and Kyoko (who will only be a minor character, I promise). But that's all.**

As Tsuna expected, Byakuran fit like a glove with the rest of Caeruleus. Which means that Kyoya attacked him on a daily basis, Lambo and I-pin shared sweets with him (he had to put a restriction on that : the white-haired teen could do what he wanted, but the two five-year-olds couldn't live on candy), Chikusa ignored him for the most part, Hayato and Ken yelled at him every time they were in the same room, and Mukuro and him seemed to have some sort of competition to see who could rile the others up the most. The brunet believed them to be at a stalemate : Byakuran reminded him of a hyper Mukuro with Lambo's sweet tooth.

Strangely enough, the newcomer got along very well with Shoichi. After a few days of wariness on the Sun's part, they discovered that they both liked chess and strategy games and bonded over that. The inventor was delighted to finally have someone with which to share his complicated ideas and to play with, since none of the other members of Caeruleus really had a mind for tactics.

Byakuran was in and out of the shop with no identifiable pattern, however Tsuna had to admit that he was diligent when he put his mind to it. The brunet had feared that he had only applied for the fun of it and would neglect his job, but the newest member had always completed his chores and never once complained about them. He was paid proportionally to the amount of hours he spent working (on a job or in the Office) and he being there noticeably reduced the workload of all the others.

So after his three weeks of probation and talking about it with all the other members, Tsuna had offered him a permanent part-time job. As expected, Byakuran cheerfully accepted. The problem was that he now had to be told about their connection -however unwilling- to the Mafia and the Flame business.

Tsuna had barely started on the subject when the older teen brushed him off with his customary grin. "Don't worry your little head about that, Tsunayoshi-kun. I have all the time in the world to learn how you are related to Mafia later -and I actually already have some pretty good leads. And I've known about the Flames of the Sky for years now. The couple who adopted me came from a low-level Famiglia and told me all about it. In fact, they only adopted me because they found out I am a Sky, like you if I'm guessing right, but less powerful. Don't look at me like that, Tsunayoshi-kun, I promise I no longer have any real contact with them, they only send me money monthly, I'm no Mafioso! But I _am_ curious to see how much you all know about Flames. I'll go see Shoichi right now to see his research! His lab is in the basement, right? And now that I'm a proper member I can go there too, right? Then I'll go immediately!" He popped some more marshmallows in his mouth -Tsuna still had not found out where he hid them- and skipped towards the stairs with a beatific smile before Tsuna could get a word in edgewise.

After staring blankly at the place Byakuran used to stand in for a while, the brunet just shook his head to clear his thoughts. The teenager's behavior bewildered him, but there didn't seem to be any issue anymore, so he left it at that. Shoichi would explain everything the knew about Flames to the over-excited boy. Better the red-head than him...

()()()()()()

Meanwhile, the construction of a second floor was well underway. The company Byakuran had talked about had actually arrived the day after and had started working on it immediately. Tsuna had not asked them any question about why they owed the white-haired teen a favor and had advised his friends to do the same. He had the strong feeling that it was something unsavory.

The second floor would have 14 bedrooms, three bathrooms (to a total of 22 rooms and seven bathrooms in the house if you counted the two in the basement near the training rooms), another living room and a small balcony. Chikusa and Hayato had expressed their fears that it was too much, but Tsuna had just shaken his head and explained that his Intuition seemed to think that hey would need each and every room. After all, two of these new bedrooms were already booked for I-pin and Byakuran, and given the speed at which their recruited weirdos and abandoned children, they would probably fill the place quickly. Nobody could object with that.

They also used the opportunity to learn what they could about construction. The workers were very open and most of them seemed happy to share their craft. Sure, the member of Caeruleus could not build a house from scratch, but they did learn how to raise a partition or to set a floor. They had had a few job offers about construction work, but they had had to redirect the customers to a professional company because they didn't have the skills. Now they could accept some of them.

Shoichi had seemed especially interested in learning construction and how to create blueprints, to the bafflement of the others. The red-head was more an intellectual than a manual type. When asked, he answered that he wanted to work on reinforcing the basement, especially the training rooms, with a new kind of Flame resistant material he was working on. Kyoya seemed to approve whole-heartedly of the initiative, to the surprise of absolutely no-one.

()()()()()()

Exactly a month after their first appearance, Vindice had manifested themselves again. If Tsuna had to choose one word to describe that meeting it would definitely be 'underwhelming'.

Over the weeks, they had built a lot of tension thinking about the different outcomes of Vindice's investigation. They had planned various scenarii in case they needed to escape, but didn't have much hope of them working. They all knew they had no chance of evading or defeating Vindice if it came to this. Even Byakuran, who had been made aware of the circumstances, had stated that as they were now they could do nothing if the policemen of the Underworld decided they were threats.

So they were all understandingly grim when the dreaded day arrived.

However, none of their predictions involved two members of Vindice (one of which was probably the leader of the earlier group if his outfit was anything to judge by) arriving from the front door and greeting them courteously.

They had replied equally as politely, more than a little bewildered and lost as to how to react. The leader of the first time had then almost casually explained that their investigation proved that Mukuro, Chikusa and Ken had indeed been victims and could not be held accountable for the two Famiglia's destructions. As such, all charges had been dropped and Vindice had sent a message to all Famiglias that the three of them were no longer wanted. Most of the members of Caeruleus had then felt their knees weaken in relief, still staring wide-eyed at the two jailers in front of them. In a rare and uncharacteristic display of care, the leader of the squad had advised the three no-longer criminals to still stay under the radar, since they had yet to figure out the reason to Vongola's involvement. Ken and Chikusa had blankly nodded their agreement while Mukuro had broken in 'Kufufufu' that were on the wrong side of hysterical.

The second Vindice member, who had yet to say a word so far, then gave his formal apologies to the whole of Caeruleus for the problems they had caused them (all the while blatantly ignoring the demented bluenet's guffaws) and offered to let Tsuna keep his mark of contract in reparation. He could use it to contact them once if they ever had trouble with the Mafia. It seemed like a good idea at the time, and none of them were thinking straight, so Tsuna agreed and thanked them for everything in a daze. He got two nods in return and the Vindice walked out of the door with no more words.

It felt completely surreal.

A few seconds of baffled silence later (only interrupted by hysterical 'Kufufus') and all the tension fell down at once. Shoichi crumbled on a couch, holding his stomach in pain, Ken collapsed next to him, clearly still in shock and Byakuran joined Mukuro in his demented laughter.

Chikusa was sitting on the floor trying to come to terms with what had just happened. Lambo and I-pin, who had likely not completely understood everything that had happened ran towards Tsuna with a thousand questions on their mind. Hayato was babbling quietly about the Vindice and his Boss' greatness. Even Kyoya had to sit on the nearest armrest to recover.

It took some time, but Tsuna eventually felt a large smile bloom on his lips. It was over. He didn't have to worry so much for three of his elements anymore. Ken, Chikusa and Mukuro were finally free!

()()()()()()

Sometimes, Tsuna couldn't help but wonder why he always found himself in this kind of position. Did he anger some deity? Was he evil in a past life? There had to be something, because there was no other reason why he kept stumbling into dangerous situations, especially so soon after the whole Vindice affair.

He shared a glance with those of his friends that were here. Hayato was next to him on the sofa, ever the dutiful right-hand man. He was trying to appear calm and composed, but the Sky could spot his eye twitching slightly and his fingers itching to pull his dynamite from wherever he hid them.

On his other side was Shoichi, who was trembling faintly and was clutching his aching stomach while trying to make it look casual. It failed spectacularly, but Tsuna didn't have the heart to tell him.

Kyoya stood behind the couch, a bit sideways, probably so he could jump forward without hitting any of them if needed. His arms were crossed, but Tsuna could tell it was so that he could reach his tonfas under his jacket faster. The raven was staring straight ahead to the customers on the opposing sofa.

Chikusa had been with them in the Office when the clients had turned up, but had managed to escape to the private area before they got a good look at him. Given that Lambo and I-pin had not barged in so far and that Mukuro and Ken had not yet returned despite having only been out to run a few short errands, the Tsuna figured that the Rain had managed to contact his two comrades and keep the two youngest members busy. Although Vindice had rescinded the arrest warrant on the three former outlaws, it would be unwise of them to appear in the open in front of _this type_ of customer, and nobody wanted the two kids to be present either.

Thankfully, Byakuran was not here that day, or he would have already said something that would have lit the tension in the room into flames. Literally, since Tsuna was positive that the three customers in front of them were Mafiosi. He didn't need his Intuition to figure _that_ out.

Indeed, the three individuals had an aura that all but screamed murder and violence. The apparent leader was a man with long flowing silver hair who didn't seem able to communicate without screaming at the top of his lungs. Even more peculiar, one of his hands was severed and instead was a device that looked like it could hold something, but was currently empty. He kept bickering loudly with the other two.

To his right was a... man. Yes, definitely a man, with an extravagant, multicolored hairdo and a very feminine voice. He was busy cooing over them, commenting on how cute they all were. Including Kyoya, which raised the question of how sane a man could be if he thought the raven's murderous scowl was endearing.

The last individual was a baby. Well, an Arcobaleno if Tsuna was not mistaken. His aura felt similar to Fon's, although it was somewhat veiled. Still, the brunet doubted that any actual infant would hang around the other two (at least he prayed so), so he was pretty sure it was indeed an Arcobaleno. Its gender was impossible to tell, since the baby wore a hooded cloak that only showed his lower face and the two triangular tattoos on his cheeks.

Yeah, there was no doubt that those three were Mafiosi, despite them not being willingly threatening or having any weapon visible. Really, that didn't mean anything, and Tsuna knew it : Mukuro could manifest his trident through his Flames, Kyoya and Hayato could hide their arsenal in what he was convinced was a dimensional pocket, Ken just changed his _teeth_ , Chikusa's weapons looked like harmless yoyos most of the time and Tsuna himself used innocent-looking gloves. Hell, even Shoichi could make weapons that looked like unimportant gadgets, Lambo could hide anything in his black hole of an afro and I-pin was a proficient bare-handed martial artist.

Still, the three were officially clients and had yet to threaten any of them apart from with their very presence. Tsuna could not ask them to leave based on that.

"Uhm, would you like something to drink? We don't have any alcohol, but we have pretty much anything else." He was grasping at straws to try and lower the pressure in the room. Thankfully, the effeminate man seemed to understand and went along with him.

"Oh, you're so polite! Yes, sweetheart, we would like a drink. Whatever juice you have would do."

Tsuna nodded and looked expectantly at Hayato. Kyoya would never leave the room while 'Carnivores' were there, Shoichi was paralyzed by his stomachache and Tsuna wouldn't risk leaving the others without surveillance. The silveret, bless him, got the message and cautiously went to the kitchen to get drinks.

The following minutes were spent in heavy silence. The long-haired man with a stump kept staring at Tsuna like he was waiting for him to admit something. It made the Sky very uncomfortable.

Finally, Hayato returned with the drinks. Three glasses of grape juice for the customers, Japanese tea for Kyoya (one of the few things that could calm him down at least a little) and Tsuna, herbal tea for Shoichi to soothe his stomach and a carbonated sports drink for him. Living every day with people helped you know exactly what kind of drink they liked or needed.

Now that this was over, they had to start talking. Great... "What can Caeruleus do for you gentlemen-" Tsuna's Intuition rang mid-word. "-and ladies?" So the hooded Arcobaleno must be female then, since the other two were definitely not, despite their haircut and voice.

The silver-haired man was still staring strangely at him in silence, so the one with a colorful hairdo stepped in again. Thank goodness at least one of them was open to discussion. "Well, deary, we were looking for a company to help us renovate our villa, but for _some unknown reason_ , all the previous companies we hired always end up resigning and refusing to contract us again." Right, unknown reasons my ass. Just looking at them gave Tsuna and his friends plenty of ideas as to why they quit. "We were getting pretty desperate in our search for a shop that would take our contract, since our home requires renovation on a regular basis. That's when we heard of this company, and we thought 'why no ask them?', so here we are." He finished with a cheer.

It was only Tsuna's long years of dealing with or ignoring the weirdness of his friends that allowed him to reply with a straight face. "I see. Please don't take this the wrong way, sir, but I must remind you that our company only deals with _legal_ jobs. We refuse to be involved with any shady business, so I must ask you clearly : is this contract really only about renovating your villa, and can you promise that we will have absolutely nothing to do with anything... unsavory?"

Tsuna really didn't know what he had said, but the silver-haired man's stare had increased in intensity. What was his problem? It was not like they were trying to appear as harmless civilians, was it? "Of course. We would never let anything happen to adorable children like you." Squealed the effeminate man. Tsuna could physically feel Kyoya repressing a snort behind him.

"Does that mean that you can do the job?" Came a voice from the other side of the sofa. The Arcobaleno.

"That would depend on the extant of the needed 'renovations'." Replied Hayato reasonably. Tsuna really will have to buy him something after all that.

"Let's see... There are a number of holes in the walls, some of them crumbled or were slashed down, although the load-bearing walls are all intact -they were made to be strong enough to withstand explosions." Supplied the cheery man. Tsuna heard Shoichi whimper silently besides him. Yes, he had arrived at the same conclusion : bullets and other weapons. Plus the comment about the supporting walls was pretty revealing : who would need such strong walls apart from people who expected their house to be under attack regularly? "Then there is some damage to the floors and ceilings. The structure of the villa is completely fine, it's the rest that need some working on. Finally, there is some decoration to be done. There are various stains all over the house, the paint is chipped pretty much everywhere, most curtains need to be changed and so on." He paused in thought, finger on his lips. "That's all I can think of. Will you be able to do it? If you do a good job, and stay until the end, you will be paid handsomely and we might become regular customers of yours. It's so hard to find a reliable business these days... "

The children all exchanged looks. It was a good opportunity, provided the deal was clean. They could work for Mafiosi, as long as they did nothing illegal or related to crimes; rebuilding a villa, even if it has been damaged by Mafiosi and housed some more was something they could do. And they could gain a regular client.

After seeing his friends' nods or shrugs, Tsuna turned back towards the customers. "If the extant of the damage is as you said, then yes, we should be able to fix it. But we won't sign a contract until we have agreed on a few points. First, as I said before, we will have nothing to do with any illegal activity. Second, you will make sure that we are safe while we work. Third, you will remove anything incriminating or traumatizing _before_ we arrive. There are some young children among us, and I don't want them seeing anything worse than some drops of blood. The place needs to be clean." The effeminate man nodded at each point. Good, because they were not negotiable. "And finally, our names and appearances will not be disclosed outside of your company or family or whatever else you represent today."

"Why is that?! Why is it so important that you remain anonymous?!" Bellowed the silver haired man. It was the first time he spoke since negotiations had started.

Tsuna frowned. "Our reasons are our own. None of us are criminals, that I can guaranty. However, some of us have a reputation, and others are in hiding. We don't want to be found. If you can't accept these terms, then there will be no contract." And really, they had no choice. Tsuna was sure that his father was still looking for him (Iemitsu was a moron, but he genuinely cared for his sons), Mukuro, Ken and Chikusa were outlaws until just recently and there were likely still people resenting and hunting them, Hayato had ran away from his father. Kyoya and Shoichi had likely been linked to the brunet's disappearance by now, so they couldn't be found either. Lambo was from a Famiglia that might have enemies stubborn enough to harm him, and even I-pin had been left here by Fon so that she wasn't roped in by the Triads. And who knew what Byakuran's true circumstances were...

The silver-haired man stared at him some more, but this time, the Sky held his stare. Tsuna was beginning to fear that he had recognized him due to Iemitsu's search, but that was unlikely. The brunet looked nothing like his father, and he knew for a fact that the most recent picture of him that his father had had been taken when he was four. Nana had never bothered to photograph him, and Iemitsu had not been home enough to think about it himself. Plus, who would expect Sawada Tsunayoshi to be living and running a company with a bunch of other kids in Italy?

Eventually, the silver-haired man nodded and stopped trying to bore a hole in him with his gaze -he still stared at Tsuna pretty heavily, though. "Alright!" He yelled. "But if you ever try anything funny on our grounds, you'll regret it!"

"How much money do you want?" Interjected the Arcobaleno before the other could continue his threats.

Thus followed a long negotiation about the prices of labor and equipment. Apparently, the fake-baby had only come along to discuss prices. In the end, a compromise was found where the customers would provide all the needed materials and the equipment (that a previous company had left there after leaving in a panic and had never demanded back. Tsuna didn't want to hear more details). Caeruleus employees would be paid by the hour, with a bonus for each renovated room, decoration and all. That way, they would still be able to finish their other contracts and take new ones and go to the new clients' villa once they were finished.

Once the terms decided, Tsuna drafted a contract under the watchful eye of the Arcobaleno -who was evidently obsessed with money. He used all his knowledge on legal documents that he had learned through his translations and was extra careful not to leave any loopholes. He couldn't afford any with these customers. The baby besides him seemed to be satisfied by his work if his approving nods were anything to go by.

Once the contract finished and checked twice, he signed his part and handed it over to the silver-haired man to sign and add the official name of the customers. The man read it quickly, apparently trusting his small companion for the small detail. The effeminate man read it over his shoulder and suddenly exclaimed. "Oh my goodness! With everything going on, we never introduced ourselves, how remiss of us! I'm Lussuria, and they-" He pointed towards the silver-haired man, then the baby. "-are Squalo and Mammon. We work for a... uhm, company called Varia."

Hayato started choking on his saliva beside Tsuna, and the brunet had to pat him on the back to get him breathing again. So the silveret knew about this 'Varia', then?

 **Does this count as a cliffhanger? You can still try to guess which character will appear next, even if they won't be in the following chapter (because the rest of Varia don't count, it's too easy), I'll still count your vote for next time.**


	21. That worked with Varia-quality

Another Path Part 21 : That worked with Varia-quality

 **Here's a chapter, just in time for Halloween. Not that it has anything to do with Halloween, but I think the Varia is scary enough for it. And you'll probably notice, but I have no f***ing idea how to write Levi-A-Than and no motivation to research such a lousy character that is clearly defined as Xanxus' b*tch. And I should stop writing Xanxus, it's starting to show in my writing, I usually don't swear all that much. F***ing Levi trash.**

Once Lussuria, Squalo and Mammon had left the shop, Tsuna called for a meeting with all members. Hayato obviously had some information on those new customers that might change things and he wanted everyone to be aware of everything they knew about those 'Varia'.

He had _not_ expected Varia to be the branch of Vongola in charge of assassination and all the dirty jobs. When Kyoya had researched Iemitsu's connection to the Mafia, he had quickly focused on CEDEF and didn't remember seeing the name Varia, so it was the first time the Japanese boys heard about it.

Chikusa, Ken and Mukuro's reaction mirrored Hayato's : they had frozen and only started to recover after Tsuna had shown them the contract ensuring their safety and anonymity (and he had made sure that the Varia members never knew the names of any of his friends). Even Lambo seemed to have heard of the group before, although only in terms as vague as 'really strong' and 'not to make an enemy of'. I-pin didn't know anything.

A couple hours later, when Byakuran arrived and was told about the new customers, he burst into laughter, mumbling that it had gone better than the last time. Nobody bothered to ask him what he meant; the white-haired teen made it a habit to say cryptic sentences and never give an explanation, so most people just assumed he was talking nonsense.

Anyway, the contract had been signed and Varia was now a customer of Caeruleus. The effeminate man -Lussuria- had given them directions to their home and told them to come as soon as they could, and none of them had anything planned tomorrow apart from Byakuran who added that given his circumstances, it would be unwise of him to see the Varia, so he would not work on the renovations. N of the others argued, even though they knew next to nothing about Byakuran's 'circumstances'. They would all go together the next day (minus the oldest teen) and take a look at the extant of the damage, to get a clear picture of what they would have to do. They would also make sure that nothing incriminating was visible and nothing that could shock their youngest members.

()()()()()()

The villa was a wreck.

Oh, all the foundations and load-bearing walls looked perfectly fine, the house was standing and from afar it looked pretty normal too (if enormous), but upon closer inspection, there was _a lot_ of work to be done.

Rubble was strewn all across the grounds surrounding the villa, holes of all size and shapes littered the walls, most of the window were broken in not completely shattered and even the garden was half in a state of disarray, half burnt to the ground. And that had only been what they could see from outside!

The Caeruleus members looked at each other. Yeah, they had their work cut out for them.

They had arrived in front of the villa, facing the massive stairs that led to the front door, when the latter was violently pushed open. Lussuria was on the doorstep beaming at them.

"Oh, you really came!" He cheered. "Good, good! We were not sure you would dare. Quite a few companies quit on us before making it his far." He gave a bubbly smile. "Come in, come in, I'll introduce you to our Boss and then give you a tour of the place, so you can get a good picture of it!" His eyes looked at each of them in turn, stopping shortly on Mukuro, Ken and Chikusa with a light widening of his eyes, but he said nothing and beckoned them to follow him.

Tsuna shared a worried and incredulous glance with his friends, scooped up Lambo into his arms, saw Shoichi do the same with I-pin and joined Lussuria inside the villa.

The interior was just as bad as the outside, noticed the brunet upon witnessing the countless holes on the floor, walls and ceiling. The fragments had just been shoved to the sides to let people walk. There were scorch marks all over the place and some blood stains, but nothing bigger than a nosebleed and no body or body parts to be seen. At least they had respected that condition so far.

Thankfully, all the damage they had seen so far was manageable, and they could fix it with their little construction skills and a lot of paint. It would just take a lot of time to take care of everything, from the cleaning of the rooms, to the plugging of the small holes and the complete rebuilding of the most destroyed walls. The floor and ceilings were salvageable with some work. Finally, there would be the decoration part, with the painting of the wall, the removal of all damaged curtains and other furniture and the bringing of new ones.

This would take months, bu it was doable and the would be paid by the hour with a bonus for each finished room. If everything went well with the customers, it was definitely worth it.

Lussuria had been excitedly babbling about his 'mischievous coworkers and their bad habits of breaking stuff' -his words exactly- when he stopped in front of a massive closed double door that was miraculously devoid of any holes or burn marks. "Here's the Boss' reception room. He's a bit gruff and not very polite, but he's got a good heart. Somewhere. Deep down inside. He knows about the contract and he won't attack you despite what it looks like, so it will be fine. Just introduce yourselves, answer his questions concisely if he has any and get out. Easy right?" He smiled, but did not receive any answering smile strangely enough.

Tsuna tightened his hold on Lambo and followed Lussuria. From what he had learned from his friends, the head of Varia, a man named Xanxus, was infamous for his perpetual anger and violent behavior. He just hoped that they would go in and out of the room without starting a fight. Right here in the middle of Varia territory, they didn't have a chance in battle.

The room was spacious, just as dilapidated as the rest of the mansion, with a throne of all things at the opposite end. A man -although from his appearance he wasn't any older than 20 was leisurely lounging in it, a glass of wine in one hand. He was properly terrifying : red eyes that stared at them, a frown that made him look furious and guns at his hips. The stuff of nightmares.

His eyes glared at them all in turn with recognition shining at the three former criminals, settled on Tsuna and he frowned even more. After that his eyes didn't leave the brunet, and the Sky was uncomfortably reminded of that Squalo guy's reaction.

The long-haired man was actually standing on one side of the room (still staring at Tsuna), along with the probably-Arcobaleno Mammon, a tall guy with an odd mustache and a weirder hairdo and a boy around the same age as Tsuna with a fringe covering his eyes and- was that a tiara? Lussuria joined them and left Caeruleus (and the brunet in particular) to face the glare of his Boss.

"You mini-trash are the construction company?" Growled the red-eyed man. Kyoya, Hayato, Ken and Mukuro stiffened at the slur, but thankfully stayed quiet and didn't move.

"Uhm, yes we're Caeruleus. We're here to assess the extant of reparations." Stumbled the Sky. Xanxus was still staring at him, so he was obviously the one who would be the one to answer.

The man kept glaring at him, and Tsuna had to fight not to fidget. What was wrong with these people? Eventually, the guy scoffed and started talking again. "I'm Xanxus, and you scum are now working for me. You already know the long-haired trash," He ignored the answering indignant bellow. "The sissy and the baby. The laughing princess is Bel and the fucking lapdog with an afro is Levi. They are the elite and will make fucking sure that no other trash bothers you when you work. You'd better do a good job and not do anything against us or I fucking swear that you will regret it. Capisce?"

He had still not looked away from Tsuna, but all the members of Caeruleus nodded their understanding. Lussuria then led them out of the room and the brunet let out a sigh of relief when that glare wasn't burning his neck anymore.

"Well, that went well!" Chirped the over-excited man. "I'll give you the tour of the place now and show you where the previous companies' equipment has been stored." He announced as he skipped ahead in the decrepit corridors.

()()()()()()

As they had expected, the work was hard, but not impossible. It took them two weeks just to clear all the rubble that littered the grounds and the inside of the villa. Since none of them could drive the truck (left by another company that had ran without demanding it back) to carry away the fragments, a subordinate of Varia made the ride back and forth to the dump (or wherever the man went) almost twenty times a day.

They were also always followed by at least one of the 'elite' at all times, both to protect them in case of danger and to ensure they didn't do anything against Varia. Lussuria was cheerful and sometimes even gave them a hand for the heavy-lifting. Mammon just hovered (which intrigued Shoichi and Hayato immensely) nearby without a word. Squalo was a bit more annoying, since he kept staring at Tsuna, but apart from that and his occasional bellows, there was no issue.

No, the problem was Levi and Bel (or Levi-A-Than and Belphegor as it turned out). The former disliked the attention Xanxus had given them all, and Tsuna especially. Which was a bit weird, because since their first tense meeting, they had not even seen the scary red-eyed man. But Levi begrudged them for it and kept making snide remarks all the time that slowly pushed them to the limit of their patience. Tsuna had had to bodily restrain Hayato once when the silveret had started pulling out his dynamite. The brunet Sky had found it insulting when Xanxus had called Levi a 'fucking lapdog' when they met, but he was finding the description more and more accurate.

Bel was a whole different issue. The 'prince' as he called himself was a bloody psychopath! He kept egging them to fight him, pulling out his knives and threatening them; they had immediately decided never to let the mad blond alone with their weakest members -Lambo, I-pin and Shoichi. Nevertheless, when it was Bel's turn to keep an eye on them, they kept a watchful eye on him to ensure he didn't try anything funny.

That had been the only thing saving Chikusa from losing a limb when Bel decided he had waited long enough and had finally thrown a knife to the Rain. Thankfully, Mukuro had noticed in time and had pushed the other to the ground, leaving the knife to embed itself on the wall the had just finished, just where the beanie-wearing boy's shoulder had been.

"What the hell!" Yelled Ken, who rushed to his long-time friend's side to make sure he was alright and in one piece.

The sound attracted the other members of Caeruleus who were working on the next room under Levi's supervision. They all rushed in and instantly understood what had happened; the knife in the wall and pretty telling.

Kyoya pulled out his tonfas at once and stood ready to attack the bloody blond who was still holding his knives ready for combat. "Herbivore, drop your weapons or be bitten to death." The raven had plenty of shortcomings, but he was very protective of all those he considered pack, and that meant all the members of Caeruleus (although Byakuran was still on probation).

Bel just laughed an especially creepy laugh and aimed a knife at Kyoya's head, which the Cloud deflected easily. That spurred Levi to step forward, not to defuse the situation, as he should have, but rather to stand by Bel and pull out his own weapons. Which were umbrellas. Really. The elite member of the greatest assassination group fought with bloody umbrellas...

Anyway, the moron was speaking. "You have attacked a member of Varia, in Xanxus' name, I shall have to execute you!" Cried Levi while brandishing his umbrellas. Bel made weird 'Ushishishi' sounds besides him.

"Hey, we haven't done squat!" Answered Hayato, dynamite already in hand. Shoichi was gathering Lambo and I-pin closer, Mukuro, Chikusa and Ken had recovered and were inching closer to their comrades weapons out.

"You have disrespected members of Xanxus' Varia, you deserve to die! You are not worth Xanxus' time!" Was Levi's passionate reply. Honestly, there was no talking to the man, and Bel wasn't any better. The freak was actually licking his knives like a villain in a manga. Yuck.

"If you attack us, we'll fight back." Warned Tsuna, but the situation was already out of hand. He discreetly made signs for Mukuro, Chikusa and Ken, who were still apart from the rest and closer to the door, to get help. Levi and Bel were too insane to talk to, but the rest of the elite was not and would probably listen to them, even if only to keep a company for renovations. And the three former outlaws had best stay together, because while some of the elite would not harm them, other members of Varia might see them as a threat if alone in the villa without supervision.

The brunet also silently told Hayato to stay close to stay close to Shoichi and not intervene. The silveret's weapons of choice were simply not suited for indoor battle, not if they wanted some of their hard work from the last two weeks to stay standing. Hayato, who while hotheaded was also very smart and loyal to a fault, nodded despite the obvious displeasure on his face. He went to stand in front of Shoichi and the kids, and would only fight if there was no there choice.

That left Kyoya and Tsuna to take care of Levi and Bel. The blond had been focused on the Cloud since he had pulled his tonfas, and Levi held a grudge against the brunet, so it was obvious who would fight who until someone sane from Varia arrived. Or someone saner at least, Tsuna didn't hope for a miracle.

Levi, who was proving to be more of an idiot by the minute, actually used Flames right from the start. In front of civilians who should not know anything about that! Had Tsuna and his friends not practiced using their Flames for years, the fight would have been over in a flash.

As it was, Tsuna, who had been wearing his fighting gloves since he had entered the villa and been told he would be supervised by Bel or Levi, didn't hesitate to use his Flames either and blocked the man's umbrella thrust. Orange fire clashed with green lightning and it was Levi who was pushed back. _Good_ , thought the brunet, _that means I have more power than him_.

Meanwhile, Bel had used the distraction to throw dozen of knives tinged with red fire to his own opponent. Following Tsuna's lead, Kyoya immediately coated his tonfas in Cloud Flames and proceeded to deflect or dodge every projectile while shortening the distance to eventually strike.

The fight went on and they were making quite the commotion. The only reasons no low-ranked Varia member had come close was that the knew better than to step in on one of the elite's fights. Still, that might not stay true very long and Tsuna didn't want to have to face the entire assassination group. The battle had to end, and fast.

Kyoya had already managed to hit Bel a few times, so the Sky was positive that his friend would win the fight once he managed to corner the 'prince' so that he couldn't escape again. The problem was that the sight of his own blood had put the blond in a frenzy and he was giggling even more maniacally than before and was twice as vicious. As for Levi, well he was clearly not as powerful as Tsuna and a bit more Flame output than what he was using so far should take care of the 'fucking lapdog'.

He increased the amounts of Flames on his gloves, not realizing that his eyes were glowing and that fire was burning on his forehead. He stepped to his left to avoid one on Levi's thrusts -the man was not very diverse in his attacks- and rushed straight ahead. He closed in on the surprised Lightning in a second, the man's arm still extended for his attack and not able to block the heavy punch to the gut. Levi went flying backwards into the wall (which thankfully was a load-bearing one and didn't suffer anything), almost hitting Bel, who was leaning on said wall to cover for an injured leg.

Kyoya used the opportunity to run on Levi's trail as he went flying, using the moron as a shield and Bel's blind spot. That got him close enough to land a solid hit on the prince's head, making him crumble on the floor unconscious.

Tsuna and Kyoya relaxed, thinking the battle over, but unfortunately, what Levi lacked in brain, he apparently had in endurance and the Cloud didn't see the crackling umbrella aimed at his head before it was too late to dodge or block.

That was when Lussuria and Mammon arrived, the Ken, Chikusa and Mukuro on their heals. The Arcobaleno had the time to summon a tentacle to intercept the attack before it connected, and the umbrella stopped a few centimeters from Kyoya. "Mou, don't kill the construction company before the are finished, idiot." Drawled the flying baby. "It was already a hassle to find them, I don't want to waste more money and time looking for a replacement."

Levi opened his mouth to protest, but was interrupted. "Voooiiiii! What the fuck is going on in here?!" Questioned Squalo, who had just arrived, a disgruntled Xanxus behind him, looking like he was ready to disembowel the first person to tell him.

"Oh, just Levi and Bel attacking our cute little construction workers and getting their asses kicked." Chirped Lussuria, who who had arrived just in time to see Tsuna send Levi-A-Than flying. "Apparently our adorable contractors forgot to mention that at least two of them could fight and use their Flames." He added with a hint a suspicion in his voice.

The two Varia who had not witnessed the fight looked at Lussuria, then for some unknown reason focused as one man one Tsuna, Squalo with an accusing glare, Xanxus with a glower so powerful the brunet took a step back. Why were they staring at him? Kyoya had also used his Cloud Flames! Why were they not looking at the raven? Why in hell were those two so focused on him? They could not know that he was Sawada Iemitsu's son, right? The Varia didn't even know their first names, they had been extra-careful about that...

Thankfully -or not- Xanxus decided to speak up before Tsuna could work himself into a full-blown panic attack. "You scum are Mafia?" He growled threateningly, still staring daggers into the brunet.

"No!" He cried before the red-eyed man could reach the wrong confusion. He had to get the situation under control quickly. Defeating Levi -who had only a few attacks and had been obviously restricted in them on the inside- and Bel -who was still wet behind the ears- was one thing. Getting alive out of a fight with the entirety of Varia, including its infamous Boss, the second-in-command who was waiving around a sword attached to his severed limb and an Arcobaleno (Mist, given how he had stopped Levi) was another. "Some of us come from the Mafia, but we're no longer part of it!"

"Then how do you know about Flames?" Demanded Squalo, sword pointed directly at Tsuna's throat. "No civilian is allowed to know about those!"

"You recognized some of us, right?" Replied the brunet. "I can't and won't give you our names. It was in the contract. And it's not important for you to know. We only defended ourselves when we were attacked. Bel threw a knife at one of us, who luckily avoided it. Those three" He pointed at Mukuro, Chikusa and Ken without naming them. "Then went to get help from another of your elite. Levi sided with Bel -he had been antagonizing us since we arrived."

At this point, Levi tried to protest or defend himself, but he did not manage to get a word out. He had barely opened his voice that a bullet was fired through his leg. Xanxus didn't even bother looking away from Tsuna and still had been too fast for the boy to properly see him draw his gun. The brunet swallowed; they really had no chance at all if this turned into a fight. "Keep talking, mini-trash." Ordered Xanxus.

"Since they were openly trying to kill us, me an him" He pointed at Kyoya, who was still ready to strike. "fought them off until help arrived. It was taking too long and we feared that some of your lower-ranked members would eventually barge in and attack us, so we decided to incapacitate Levi and Bel. Lussuria and Mammon arrived just after it was over, and Mammon stopped a surprise attack from Levi towards my friend." He gestured towards the umbrella that was still immobilized by a tentacle sprouting from the floor. "You arrived just after them." He finished lamely.

Xanxus was studying his face intently again, but at least Tsuna believed that the fury had alleviated a bit. The next person to talk -yell was Squalo. "Where did you learn, then? To use your Flames. Not with civilians, that's for sure; Vindice make sure that no-one outside of the Mafia learns anything about it."

"Some of us learnt in the Famiglias they used to belong to. Some of us discovered Flames on our own and perfected their use by ourselves. The rest were taught by the firsts once they joined Caeruleus. And Vindice knows about it too, but they don't mind." He added, carefully avoiding looking at the three former criminals. From the looks Lussuria sent them anyway, they already knew who those three were.

But talking about the Vindice had reminded Tsuna of the mark of contract he still had on his arm. They had said he could use it once to call the Vindice for help; if things turned sour, he would use it immediately.

Silence fell in the room. Xanxus eventually broke it by turning around and exiting the room. "Just return to work, scum." He barked. "You morons return to work too!" He added towards the Varia. "And if the princess or the fucking lapdog try anything again, they get shot between the eyes. Capisce?"

Once Xanxus had disappeared behind a corner, the rest of Varia looked at each other before leaving the room as well, leaving only Lussuria and Caeruleus behind.

Tsuna shared a puzzled look with his friends, shrugged and took a good look at the new damage to the room. The would have to do everything again.


	22. That faced the wrath

Another Path Part 22 : That faced the wrath

 **I will stop apologizing about any late updates. I have real life to deal with, as do many writers on this website, and none of you ever blamed me for it (you guys are all awesome). Thank you very much for that; encouragements help me write, but orders pretty much stop me.**

 **Also, a warning : my updating schedule might (and I mean _might_ nothing is sure) grow even more hectic in 2019. I have important exams and, more importantly, Kingdom Hearts 3 will finally be available on January the 29th (#fangirl squealing#). Fanfiction will have to be secondary to KH, I'm afraid. But you can still expect _at least_ one chapter every two months and I will _never_ drop this story. I have invested way too much time, thoughts and sheets of paper to plan the script for that.**

 **About Xanxus : I think that despite his violent behavior, Xanxus truly cares for his subordinates and family in his own way. During the Ring Battles, he was just completely furious that his father had lied to him all this time and that he would never be able to have what he had been promised for years (the Vongola throne). In the future arc, he is clearly shown siding with Tsuna, even though he doesn't like him. He usually puts his family before anything else. I also don't think he's the type to attack or let his subordinates attack children unless there's a good reason. He's also much smarter than his behavior shows (how else could he have led a organization the size of Varia?) and more calculating when he doesn't let his temper get the better of him.**

 **As for the fight in the previous chapter, Bel is still a newbie in Varia, he's strong, but not yet at the others' level. Levi is probably the weakest elite (with Bel) and the small rooms and corridors are not the best place for him to fight. The battle might have turned out differently had it taken place outside. I felt that I needed to explain this : the Caeruleus children are strong, but they are still children (much like Bel). They wouldn't stand a chance in a one-on-one with Squalo or Lussuria for instance. Yet.**

The positive outcome of Levi and Bel's attack was that Caeruleus was no longer as restricted inside the villa as before. The close watch of the Elite had been as much to prevent them from discovering Mafia secrets as to protect them (from outside dangers and Varia itself). Now that they had proven that they could defend themselves reasonably well and that they were at least aware enough of the Mafia to know about Flames, the surveillance was much more casual.

They were still followed by an Elite (although Bel and Levi had been thankfully relieved of that duty) and they had to tell their minder in which section of the mansion they were working, but the latter was usually only distantly watching them and they were allowed to move around. The work moved along faster and they no longer felt as oppressed as before.

That was how they realized that they had been greatly mistaken upon their arrival. They had all assumed that the damage to the house had been mostly due to _outside_ attacks, from people who had a grudge against Varia. After encountering a few lower-ranked members, they quickly realized that almost all the destruction had been caused by Varia itself!

Of course, that discovery had caused some tension between Caeruleus and the Mafiosi; who wouldn't be enraged to see a room they had worked on for days be returned to the decrepit state they had found it in because a bunch of drunk and trigger-happy criminals decided it would make good target practice?

As one can expect, some members of Caeruleus took it worse than others and went to directly threaten the Mafiosi to be more mindful of their hard work, or to simply beat them to the ground until the message got through. The Elite didn't seem to mind (they actually found it hilarious to see their subordinates be trashed by kids) so the lower-ranked quickly understood that it was in their best interests to not destroy a room that had just been renovated. They were not given much of a choice, what with not only Kyoya, Mukuro, Ken and Hayato beating them up if they caught them, but also I-pin, Chikusa and Lambo. Tsuna himself had felt the urge to punch a few of them on occasion and he was sure that he had heard Shoichi mutter darkly about something that would shock perpetrators into unconsciousness if they shot at one more wall, or that would reflect the bullet right at them. The inventor had scary ideas sometimes...

()()()()()()

With most of the lower-ranked Varia too cowed to dare to immediately destroy their hard work, things proceeded much more smoothly. Three months into the contract, Caeruleus had almost finished.

Tsuna, Hayato and Shoichi were putting the finishing touches to one of the last rooms, the rest was already starting on the next one. Unfortunately, they would not have enough paint to cover the whole wall, which meant that one of them would have to go and get some more in the shed where most of the construction materials were stored. It would not be such a pain if leaving the room didn't mean exposing themselves to the rest of Varia. The elites (minus Bel and Levi who were apparently under strict orders from their boss not to bother them) were mostly OK, but the rest was generally made of battle maniacs that had no qualms whatsoever about fighting children to the death or just slaughtering them when they turned their backs.

Sure, most of Caeruleus had enough fighting experience and/or power to get out fast enough and reach help if the lower-ranked Varia wanted an open fight, although most of the kids would rather simply avoid the blood-thirsty morons if at all possible. But there was always a risk that one of them would stab them in the back, and no amount of power and preparation could ever completely protect you against that.

Hence why Tsuna was usually the one to go and get any small enough material when they needed it. His Hyper Intuition would at least warn him about any incoming assassination attempt. This time was no exception, and the brunet left his two friends to bring back some paint.

Unsurprisingly, he was half-way there when his Intuition whispered to him to take a different road. The Sky didn't think much about it and simply turned left where he would have turned right. He had spent more than enough time in the building to be able to navigate its corridors by now.

He was, however, much more wary when he felt a powerful Flame coming straight towards him. However, he had been lost in his thoughts for too long and it was too late to turn around or hide; the furiously burning Flame was already around the corner. He readied himself and slipped his hand into his pockets to don his gloves, in case the newcomer was hostile.

A visibly raging Xanxus appeared. The man had never directly interacted with anyone from Caeruleus apart from their first meeting and when Bel and Levi had gone haywire, which explained why Tsuna had not recognized the feel of his Flames.

Still, the young man was obviously in a terrible mood, his guns were out and he looked ready to shoot down anything that stood in his way, Tsuna included.

The sensible thing to do would be to stick to the walls and wait until Xanxus had left. Unfortunately, the brunet had always been a bit lacking in the common sense area. His intuition kept prodding him, supplying that something was wrong with the older man and that he had to do something. Tsuna could see it : there was more than rage in Xanxus' eyes, although it was well-hidden. There was grief too, and loss. He was less facing a rampaging rabid beast than an injured animal that growled and showed its fangs to keep threats at bay while it licked its wounds.

So, disregarding all and any thoughts of self-preservation, Tsuna walked slowly towards Xanxus, bare hands visible to clearly show that he was not armed. The man's eyes focused on him and he growled. "Out of my way, mini-trash." He ordered.

It was official, Tsuna was terrified. But he was also way too kind-hearted to leave alone someone that looked so desperately in need of support. "Is there anything I can do to help?" He asked softly instead, his voice barely faltering. When Xanxus made to stride past him, he jogged by his side, far apart that he would not be considered a threat. He rather doubted that the older man would tolerate him walking behind him, facing his exposed back.

Xanxus shot him a glare, but didn't stop. He took a deep breath and squeezed his guns, which the brunet interpreted as an attempt to restrain himself and not just shoot him. "This is a Family matter." He eventually snarled when it became obvious that Tsuna would not leave him alone. "It doesn't fucking concern civilians, so piss off."

But the shorter Sky was bull-headed and had already decided that he would not leave the other alone until he had calmed down. He kept jogging besides him to keep up with Xanxus' much longer stride and waited for him to explain.

The leader of Varia grunted angrily, but didn't shoot the boy like he half-wanted to. He still had enough morals to know that killing civilian children that had technically done nothing wrong was a bad idea. Since the brat was not letting him go any time soon, he had no option but to speak, so the boy would be satisfied and leave him be. "I just discovered that I have been fucking lied to all my life and that I would never have what I have been promised. My bastard of a father is actually not my father and just picked me up out of pity." He admitted, wrath dripping from every word. "I'm about to rain fucking hell on him and all the trash he keeps." He added, because it was what he has planing and he wanted to scare away the annoying brat .

Unfortunately, it didn't have the expected effect, and the brunet just hummed his understanding. "Why do you think he told you you were his son, then?" He even had the gall to ask.

"'Cause he pitied the poor boy with a demented mother?! 'Cause he wanted to use my Flames?! 'Cause he had a laugh out of it?! How the fucking hell would I know?!" Exploded Xanxus. "I just know that he will pay for it." He growled threateningly.

Tsuna was silent for a long moment. "Maybe he actually cared about you and didn't want to hurt you?"

That got Xanxus to stop and whirl around to lower his face to the brunet's. He red eyes burning with intense fury and his lips curled back to expose his clenched teeth. "Why the fuck would he care?! I'm nothing to him! Just a piece of trash he picked up in the streets! If he cared about me, he would have never made me believe I was Vongola and had a claim to the throne now that my not-really-brothers are six feet under! I don't have any fucking family, so there's no way he gives a damn about me!"

 _Ah, so this is what it is about_. Realized Tsuna, who was too caught up in his epiphany to think about stepping back. _He thinks that since they are not really related, his father doesn't care about him_. The terror he had been feeling since he encountered Xanxus melted away some more. _He's angry at the world because he believes that he has no place to belong to anymore_.

It was a feeling he understood. Tsuna had always been estranged from his family. Nana and Ienobu had never acted as family with him. Iemitsu had loved him, that he knew, but he also knew that he would always come second, and that the man had never managed to behave like a father towards him.

But despite all that, Tsuna had a family, only one that he had built himself rather than been born to. They were not related by blood, but they were not any less close for it. And Xanxus had one as well. The brunet didn't know enough to judge his relationship with his father, but he had seen the reverence and the hidden fondness that the elite displayed when they were around or they were speaking of their Boss.

Now to make the furious man before him see this as well... "I don't know your father or your relationship with him, so I can't say anything about that." He admitted in a whisper. Xanxus' face was close enough to his that he heard every word. "But you _do_ have a family! Just like I have one! A family doesn't have to be related by blood, just like being blood related doesn't make you a family. My blood-mother hates my very existence, and my father never believed me or trusted me enough to help! My own brother tried to kill me multiple times for no real reason! They are _not_ family to me! But all the others at Caeruleus are! They always have my back and care about me and give me presents for my birthday and Christmas! They listen to me when I have something to say and they are always willing to help me if I ask, just like I am for them! I can't say anything for your father, but at least it's obvious that the Varia is _your_ family!" His words grew more and more heated as he spoke, and Xanxus had actually taken half a step back to look at him with wide eyes.

Tsuna's eyes were starting to glow orange, but he didn't notice and kept speaking. "Lussuria always has a kind word about you. Squalo looks very, very proud to be your right-hand man and for all that he complains about your attitude, it's obvious that he's also very fond of you. Mammon stays here and makes sure that everything runs smoothly, even if she earns no money for it. Levi was so focused on gaining recognition from you that he actually attacked us when he believed we had your attention, and Bel respected you enough to step down from a fight when you told him to. They would give their lives for yours, and I'm sure you would do the same for them. They are your family, whether you see it or not." He concluded, panting lightly from his passionate rant.

Xanxus was looking at him even more heavily than before, like it was the first time that he saw him. The wrath was gone, replaced by a calculating stare.

He opened his mouth, and Tsuna was sure that he was about to be insulted and threatened for the way he had spoken to the Varia Boss. He did not expect the words that came out. "You are Iemitsu's lost son, Tsu-something, aren't you." It was less of a question than a statement.

The brunet blinked a few times, having not caught the change of subject. He eventually regained his bearings. "I don't know what you are talking about." He lied. How could Xanxus of all people have known?! He looked nothing like his father!

The older man scoffed. "Yeah, right. You have Sky Flames, are about the same age as the son of the CEDEF trash and you obviously have Vongola blood in you. Stop pretending, you won't fool me." His eyes narrowed. "Why did you run away from Japan to Italy." He demanded to know.

Tsuna shifted a little, assessing his options. Xanxus seemed way too sure that he was Iemitsu's son for some reason to be convinced otherwise. It was also probably not a good idea to be caught lying by the head of Varia; at best he would drag him back to his father, at worst he would just kill him here and there. And who knew what would happen to his friends, whom Vongola had no reason to leave alive since they knew too much. No, his best chance laid in telling the truth and persuade the older man not to hand him over to Iemitsu or speak of this to anyone else. His Intuition seemed to agree.

"My mother, Nana, never cared about me because she always doted on my younger twin brother, Ienobu. At first it was only neglect, but it slowly turned into abuse the older I grew. Nobu also seemed to hate me for some ridiculous reason. He always made sure that I was miserable. I only made a friend in Kyoya because he was more than strong enough to fight back against Nobu and all his friends. When Nobu tried to kill me the first time, Kyoya and Shoichi -another friend I made now that Kyoya was there to protect him- we thought it was just something he did on the spur of the moment, and I would be fine. But he tried again to kill me and we realized that I would never be safe as long as I stayed around. No grown-up believed me over Nobu, so we could not ask them for help, not even Iemitsu.

We started to plan. Kyoya and Shoichi decided to come with me abroad, and thought that Italy was the best place to hide. We knew that Iemitsu was in the Mafia because I heard him speak about it. We also knew about Flames after I summoned them by accident when I was little, and I taught my friends. Then Nobu tried to kill me again, this time he had plotted everything, and we knew it was time to leave. We arrived in Italy and opened Caeruleus with some money Kyoya had gotten from his family. The others joined us over time." He finished.

Xanxus stared at him for a minute before huffing. "Huh, and a brat with a past like yours still speaks about family!"

"Because we have a different definition of family." Argued Tsuna. Xanxus seemed to believe his story, and had yet to actually act on it. "You at least have Varia, and maybe your father too."

"That man doesn't give a damn about me, or he would have never told me he was my father!" Growled Xanxus, anger in his eyes, but not nearly as much as a while ago.

"Or maybe he wanted you to have a family, even if it was not by blood!" Replied Tsuna heatedly, all fear of the older Sky gone. "Maybe he though that you are still his son, even if you were not born to him! He at least cared about you for years before today, this is more than my blood-father can say; you should give him a chance to explain himself!" He shouted.

Xanxus ground his teeth but did not answer immediately. Tsuna's words were finally reaching him. "I guess." He eventually conceded grudgingly. "I will ask him directly what he intended to do with me before I make him pay."

Tsuna nodded, still tense, but inwardly glad that this was the outcome of their argument. Minutes went by with both individuals lost in their thoughts and memories of the time spent with their families. But one thought was nagging at the brunet, and he voiced it, now that he was almost positive that the other would not shoot a hole between his eyes.

"How did you figure out that I was related to Iemitsu? I don't look like him at all, it was why Nana never bothered with me, and I know he doesn't have any recent picture of me."

The older sky snorted. "It's obvious : you are the right age and you have some Vongola blood. Which by the way, gives you a claim to the title of Vongola Decimo." He added darkly and with narrowed eyes strained onto the brunet.

Tsuna was quick to understand what this was about and to wave his arms wildly in denial. "No, no, no, no, I have no intention of having anything to do with the Mafia, let alone Vongola! You don't have to worry about that, I won't _ever_ be a candidate for the job!" He promised. Honestly, he had no desire to ever be associated with Iemitsu's Famiglia. Or any other Famiglia for that matter. "But that doesn't explain how you knew that I have Vongola blood." He reminded.

To his great bewilderment, Xanxus actually burst laughing. "You honestly don't know, mini-Sky?"

"If I did, I wouldn't be asking." Huffed the brunet back, feeling much more at ease after their little heart-to-heart. "But I really need to know if it's so obvious. I don't want people to be able to figure it out so easily. I'm kind of in hiding, you know."

Xanxus chuckled and asked. "You do know that you are directly descended from Vongola Primo, right?"

Apparently not, because the brat looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "What?!" He shrieked. "You're not puling my leg, are you?"

The older man raised an eyebrow. "How the fuck could you know about Vongola and your father's job and not that?"

"I don't know a lot about those, since I wanted nothing to do with the Mafia!" Defended Tsuna. "I did learn that I came from a specific bloodline of Vongola and that I was somehow related to the main line, but I never thought that I was a direct descendant of the first Boss! How the hell do _you_ know that?!"

Xanxus sighed, but it was more amused than annoyed. The suffering of others must be entertaining for him, thought Tsuna uncharitably. "The current main line is descended from the second Boss of Vongola, Primo's nephew or something, not directly form the founder. The Hyper Dying Will -you know about _that_ , right?- without relying on pills is a characteristic of Primo's line. When you were ranting, your eyes started glowing orange and a tiny flame appeared on your forehead. Plus, you're a Sky, and Skies are rare, but Primo's line is known for birthing only Skies. And finally, you look so oh-fucking much like your ancestor that it would have been hard to miss that you were related."

"My ancestor?" The brunet could feel dread mounting inside him.

"Primo. There are a few portraits of him around the world, most of them in Vongola mansion. He was blond with blue eyes, but apart from that, you damn well look like his clone."

"I can't actually look like such a distant ancestor!" Argued Tsuna in a fit of panic. If he was that recognizable, it was only a matter of time until someone identified him and reported him to Iemitsu. "I mean, I'm related to him through my father, and I look nothing like the man, there's no way I can look like that Primo guy!"

"Hell if I know how, but you fucking do. But there are not that many portraits and very little people have seen it often enough to immediately link you to Primo. You should be fine as long as you don't purposefully mingle with high-ranked Mafiosi." Tsuna breathed a sigh of relief. "You might want to be careful, though, 'cause you're not the only one that looks like he was cloned from the first generation."

"What do you mean?" Asked the younger Sky, but his panic attack had thankfully subsided. "And was the resemblance the reason why you and Squalo kept staring at me?"

"Yeah, it was. Fucking weird to see a living kid look so much like a painting of a long-dead guy we had walked in front of countless times. I used to live in Vongola mansion and Squalo visited me there often before I became the Varia Boss, so we're familiar with the portrait, but the other elite trash never saw it, or not often enough to leave an impression. That's why the scum never recognized you. And don't worry so fucking much, none of us like Iemitsu, so we won't tell the bastard about you. Can't risk the only company that managed to stay long enough to finish the construction, can we?" He grinned. It was not a pleasant smile.

"Yeah, and some of your little friends really look like the first generation too. The silver haired brat with a mouth on him looks like the first Storm Guardian, G, and the scowling one that trashed Bel is like a copy of Alaude, the Cloud Guardian, with black hair. Mukuro Rokudo -yeah, we all know it's him, and I don't wanna know what you did with Vindice to have them cleared- looks like Spade, the Mist Guardian. It's kinda creepy. Hell, even the baby with a ridiculous afro looks like Lampo, the Lightning Guardian. You only need to find two morons that looks like Asari and Knuckle, the Rain and Sun Guardian, and you'll have a whole fucking set."

Tsuna had no idea how to answer that. Xanxus did not seem to be lying, but it was quite hard to imagine that five of them looked like the dead first generation of Vongola. The type of Flame was actually the same too. Still, it was nice to be warned. "I didn't know about that. It's not like we recruited based on our looks. And in fact, we never actively recruited either, things just turned out the way they did."

They both drifted into silence after that, though it was not uncomfortable. They had reached an understanding of sorts (and Xanxus had finally stopped trying to glare a hole into Tsuna's head) and there was nothing left to add. The brunet finally remembered the purpose of his trek through the Varia villa and quickly left to bring back paint to his no doubt worried friends. He waved Xanxus goodbye and asked if he could be kept updated about the evolution of his relationship with his adopted father. The older man just grunted noncommittally.

()()()()()()

A week and a half later, all the renovations had been over for two days and the members of Caeruleus were all lounging in the Office. They had received their salary and an offer to call on them the next time the villa needed working on. The children had agreed, it was good money and not so difficult apart from the one incident with Bel end Levi.

They did not see the Varia Boss again.

Tsuna had recounted his encounter with Xanxus to his friends. He had not gone into too many details, but Shoichi, Mukuro, Kyoya and Byakuran had sent him knowing glances when he had brushed the topic of his blood family. The three formers were not entirely unexpected, since they had witnessed the situation back in Namimori in one way or another, but Tsuna couldn't figure out how Byakuran could know anything about it. He eventually settled on believing that Shoichi had told the white-haired teen something (it certainly wasn't Kyoya or Mukuro).

They were all in the Office, working at home, studying or waiting for a new job when the laptop Tsuna was typing on announced that they had received an email.

Surprisingly, Xanxus had listened to Tsuna's request and was keeping him updated on his relation with his father. He had talked to his adoptive father and had learnt that the man did indeed see him as his own son after all this time, although he had taken him in knowing full well that they were not related. Xanxus was still a part of his family, but he was not eligible for the title of Vongola Decimo. It clearly pissed the Varia Boss off, but it was nowhere near the all-consuming rage that Tsuna had found him in.

Added to the email was a picture taken from the inside of Vongola mansion. It was not very clear, and had obviously been taken discreetly, so that no-one noticed, so the details were hard to see but it was still easy to guess that this was a photo of a painting of the first generation of Vongola.

In the center, sitting on a throne was a man that looked eerily like Tsuna despite the poor quality, if not for his hair and eye color. Standing guard around him were six men, four of which looked like grown-up Kyoya, Mukuro, Hayato and Lambo with different coloring.

None of the members of Caeruleus really knew what to think of these strange resemblances.

 **So, who do you think will appear next, now that Varia is done? I will post the names of those that guess right. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!**


	23. That learned about robots

Another Path Part 23 : That learned about robots

 **A bit shorter than usual, but I wanted to stop there, before the next character was introduced. Don't hesitate to comment and/or try guessing which character will appear after the next one (since the actual next one will be pretty obvious, or else I am failing at something horribly).**

After dealing with Varia's special brand of insanity for several months, all of Caeruleus agreed that a break was not only earned, but needed. So when Shoichi heard of a large science convention open to all in a nearby town, he didn't hesitate to ask his comrades if they wanted to accompany him.

Truth be told, most of them were not all that keen on science. Hayato had a scholarly side under all his brashness and Byakuran was a font of weird scraps of knowledge, but all the others were either uninterested or a downright hazard in a lab.

But it was a good excuse to go out in a peaceful environment. Scientists tended to be the quiet type, not the violent, bloodthirsty type they had been surrounded with in the Varia mansion. So what could go wrong?

In hindsight, Tsuna realized he should have expected everything that happened. When had life gone according to plan when he wanted some peace and quiet before?

In the end, Shoichi dragged Tsuna along, and invited Hayato and Byakuran to the convention. Technology was still a sensitive subject for Ken, Chikusa and Mukuro, and they wanted no reminder of their time with the Estraneo. Kyoya had shot down the invitation with a grunt as soon as it had been offered and both Lambo and I-pin were not interested and a bit too young to attend. The four who were going were already borderline, with the youngest -Tsuna- only having recently celebrated his 12th birthday.

The bus trip to the convention went without a hitch. Byakuran was taking too much enjoyment from aggravating Hayato's volatile mood, but the silveret managed to contain his temper. He only threatened to blow the older teen up three times, kept his swears and insults low enough not to be overheard and didn't even pull out the explosives he was sure to have hidden on his person. Tsuna was unduly proud.

The convention itself was not what he had expected. Since it was open to anyone, he had not thought it would be so high-tech and elitist. The fours teens were surrounded by adults, most of them professional scientists. There were a few strollers like them, but they were clearly not in their environment and they gazed upon the inventions and technology with the same confused awe and lack of understanding as Tsuna.

Shoichi looked like he had died and ascended to geek heaven.

It took the combined persuasive force of Tsuna, Hayato and Byakuran to drag the Sun towards the information point rather than rush straight to the displays. The convention was very large, with many stands, even more expositions and several conferences. They would need the leaflets to know the exact schedule and not miss any of the main events Shoichi had wanted to see.

If the redhead's enthusiasm had dwindled slightly at hearing that he couldn't attend all the happenings because some took place at the same time, it skyrocketed when he read through the list of lecturers.

"Oh my god, I can't believe it!" He _squealed_. Tsuna was vividly reminded of rabid fangirls he had seen on TV. It was a weird thought. "Verde is here!"

Byakuran raised an eyebrow his face contorting into an indecipherable expression, before excusing himself and disappearing into the crowd. He was bent in half, like he had an especially virulent stomachache, but Tsuna got the distinct impression he was actually bent with laughter. Hayato looked thunderstruck, but he quickly reached to the nearby stands to take his own leaflet. When he looked back up, the silveret looked very much like an excited puppy. You could almost see a tail wagging behind him.

"Who is this 'Verde', exactly?" Asked the brunet. The man had to be very impressive for the two science geeks to react like that.

"He's the greatest scientist of this era." Supplied Shoichi with stars in his eyes. "Some people say he's the new da Vinci. But he's extremely secretive. He hardly ever leaves his labs and just reveals his inventions and discoveries without showing himself. Verde almost never attends conventions and the like, but he's going to give a lecture about alternative energy sources this afternoon! How lucky! We have to see it!" He declared, and Hayato was nodding emphatically besides him.

"Sure." Agreed Tsuna. "I only came here because you asked, it's not like there's anything I planned on seeing anyway." He pointedly ignored the almost hysteric cries of happiness from his two friends.

This Verde's lecture only started at 4pm, and it was currently 9am. They had arrived early to spend as much time as possible at the convention. They figured that they would spend the rest of the morning looking at the stands and whatever else caught their eye, eat lunch around midday and then wait in front of the conference room an hour before the lecture started. Tsuna would have thought it to be too much, but both Hayato and Shoichi feared that there would be a line to attend the conference and neither wanted to risk missing it because there was no more space available. Unfortunately, the Sky's Intuition agreed with them.

The morning was pleasant, he supposed. Tsuna was not particularly interested in any of the displays. Byakuran had not yet made a reappearance, but nobody was worried about him; the older teen could make his way out of any trouble without their input.

Hayato and Shoichi were elated. They stopped at any stand that looked promising, and asked questions or clarifications to the scientists in charge. Said researchers were usually a bit dismissive or guarded around the children, but the two teenagers' enthusiasm, knowledge and quick mind won them over every time. It seemed all the people gathered here were impassioned by their work, so the two brains of Caeruleus blended in effortlessly. Tsuna was content to stay back and watch his friends enjoy themselves.

But such peace could not be expected to last very long in the Sky's life. The three teens were looking at one more innovative device -something about atoms and splitting matter, he had not bothered trying to understand further when the man in charge spoke more words he didn't know than ones he did, pronouns included- when they registered a commotion nearby.

Before they could understand what this was about, they saw a figure about their size dart through the crowd and attempt to lose the four vigils that were running after it. They were about to dismiss the event completely as something that did not concern them when Tsuna's meddlesome Intuition rang in his head.

The poor teen tried to shake it off, but the feeling that he had to get involved only increased further. "Uhm, guys." He began tentatively, not wanting to pull his friends out of their technology trance, but knowing better than to follow his Intuition alone towards an unknown situation in such a crowd. "I'm really sorry to interrupt, but I have this _really strong feeling_ that we should go see what this was all about." He stated, hoping they took the hint.

Luckily they did, and apologized to the nice scientist for leaving him mid-explanation. Hayato looked ready to follow his Boss wherever he led, but Shoichi seemed more reluctant. Tsuna felt a pang of remorse, but the ringing in his head left him no time to wallow in his guilt. They had to go.

They were long accustomed to making their way through crowds of adults, and managed to slip through the throngs of people towards the area his Intuition guided him. There were even more people gathered there, like onlookers watching something unusual taking place in the middle of the way.

Tsuna gently pushed his way to the front (being small had its advantages, since most adults didn't mind him because they could easily keep staring over his head) and took the scene in.

The four vigils from earlier had apparently managed to corner the runaway figure, which was a boy around their age with blond hair arranged in a swirl and munching on a lollipop. Said boy didn't look all that worried at being surrounded, in fact he only seemed to be mildly annoyed at the men.

But the sight that had Tsuna groan in despair was the white-haired teen by his side with a shit-eating grin.

 _Of course_ Byakuran had to get involved with whatever commotion happened near him.

From what the crowd around him was muttering, Tsuna understood that the blond boy had entered the convention without paying for a ticket. The Sky didn't blame him, the entry fee had been inordinate, and they had only managed to pay without ruining themselves for four tickets because of the hefty bonus Varia had given them for a job well done -and to motivate them to work for them again, when new rooms will undoubtedly be wrecked in the near future. Given that this was an advanced convention, clearly meant for the elite -for all that it was open to all- and that famous figures such as this Verde were in attendance, Tsuna supposed that the price was somewhat justified, but it was still too much to expect children their age to be able to pay.

"It's all fine if I pay for him, right?" Asked Byakuran in a way that clearly conveyed that this was not an actual question. "It's fine, here." He pulled money from his wallet (which held his own money earned from outside of Caeruleus) and waived the correct amount of bills. "Take it. Now you can leave us alone and everybody can go back to enjoying this wonderful convention."

The vigil to whom he forcibly gave the money looked bewildered for a moment. But then, if the fee was paid for the blond boy's entry, there was no longer a reason to chase and arrest him, and a lot of paperwork could be avoided. Eventually, he shrugged, pocketed the bills, handed an extra ticket to Byakuran and told his colleagues to return to their positions. The crowd of onlookers quickly started to disperse once there was nothing interesting to watch anymore.

The blond didn't even look bothered by the whole situation. "Thanks." He said airily to Byakuran when he gave him the ticket. "That was annoying. All I did was enter the convention, it's not like I stole anything." He drawled, then he pulled something from his bag. "Lollipop?" He offered.

The white-haired teen was never one to refuse sweets. "Thank you." He said and started eating the candy. "I'm Byakuran, and these three" He pointed at Tsuna, Shoichi and Hayato, who had remained at a distance from them. "are my friends and co-workers, Tsunayoshi, Shoichi and Hayato. Who are you?" He asked, but Tsuna's Intuition told him that he already knew the answer, which was strange, because the blond obviously had never seen the teen before.

"Spanner." He replied, forgoing the surname like Byakuran had. He eyed them speculatively. "Are you all Japanese? You have Japanese names."

"Ah, somewhat. Tsuna and Shoichi were born and raised in Japan before they moved in Italy. I was born there too but was adopted by Italians early on, and Hayato has never set foot oversees, but his mother was half Japanese and she gave him his name. Why is that?"

Spanner's face still looked as bored as before, but there was a glint in his eyes. "Japan is the land of manga and robots. Have you ever seen robots from up close?" He asked, leaning forward in his excitement.

Tsuna shared a glance with Hayato and Shoichi, seeing the same bewilderment reflected in their faces. "Huh, no, not robots exactly. But Shoichi here has created some pretty impressive devices." He stumbles, a bit guilty at throwing the Sun under the train like that, but needing to redirect the hungry stare towards someone else. Plus, the redhead was likely the most qualified of them to talk abouts robots anyway.

The inventor glared at him indignantly, but didn't have the time to do much more as Spanner started assaulting him with technical questions about what Tsuna assumed to be robots that went way over his head. Thankfully, after some spluttering in the face of a stranger, Shoichi slowly started to answer eagerly, having found a like-minded soul about science. The brunet felt a bit better seeing his shy friend conversing freely about resilience/weight ratio enthusiastically, Byakuran and Hayato adding their own thoughts from time to time.

They resumed touring the convention, this time with Byakuran and Spanner in tow. The blond's presence earned them a few cautious glances, but nothing really happened.

They decided to eat outside after a glance at the prices in the cafeteria. Not only was the entry fee for the convention ridiculous, but even the food on the spot was outrageously overpriced. The pizzeria a few streets down was good and, more importantly, affordable.

Their tickets allowed them to return inside without a hitch, although the vigils posted at the entranced eyed them, and Spanner especially, warily.

Like they had planned, they camped in front of the main conference room and waited there for Verde's lecture about alternative energy sources. There were already a number of people queuing to grab the best seats for the two-hour long lecture.

This left them some time for socializing with Spanner. So far, they -meaning everyone but Tsuna- had only talked about science and robots. "So, Spanner," started Byakuran. "Did you come here with anyone? Your parents perhaps?" Again, the younger Sky had the persistent impression that the oldest teen already knew the answer, and it unnerved him, but the change of topic from complicated top-of-the-line technology to family and everyday life meant that he could finally take part in the conversation, so he said nothing. He didn't mind waiting at the sides when his friends geeked over some device or another, but it was nice to be included in the talks after a while.

"Huh? Oh, no, they are both back in England somewhere, doing their own thing. I came here on my own, but I didn't expect the ticket to cost so much and I didn't take enough with me. But a source stated that Verde would attend; it didn't seem all that trustworthy, but I figured it was worth giving it a chance and turns out he was right. Except it's even better and instead of just being here, he's actually giving a lecture." He smiled over his lollipop, but for the so-far rather inexpressive blond, it was a beaming grin.

"I have to say, you speak very good Italian, Spanner. But won't your parents worry, though? Do they know where you went?" Inquired Shoichi.

"I left them a note." Shrugged the blond without a care. "They won't mind, we're not really close. We usually all do our own thing in our corner anyway. And one of my nannies taught me Italian. I wanted to learn because a lot of the greatest scientists these days come from Italy. It's better to read their works and publication in the original language than rely on translations."

"How will you return to England after the convention?" Asked Tsuna. "I hope you already bought you ticket back, because if you didn't have enough money to pay for the entry fee here, you probably won't for the trip by plane either."

"I'll manage." Replied Spanner without a concern. "I had to pay for the shipment of my Mosca here, so I'm a bit broke at the moment, but I'll figure things as they come." Wow, Tsuna didn't remember meeting such a lackadaisical individual ever before. Byakuran and Kyoya were laid back, true, but not this unworried about the near future as their new acquaintance.

"Your Mosca?" Repeated Hayato with a puzzled tilt of his head. Sometimes Tsuna thought the boy was way too poppy-like in his gestures and his behavior. It made ignoring the imaginary dog ears and wagging tail all the more difficult.

"The robot I built. I used scrap pieces from various devices around the house, so it could use some perfecting, but so far it can walk on its own, identify the people in front of him if they are entered in its database, pick up small objects and fire laser beams and lead rounds at will."

Tsuna wanted to bash his head on the closest wall, and he saw from Hayato and Shoichi's mildly horrified expressions that they felt the same. Byakuran was just insane and was chuckling creepily while sucking on the raspberry flavored lollipop Spanner had offered him minutes ago.

Why had he ever entertained the notion that anyone he met and talked with could be normal again? Spanner had looked sane enough so far, apathetic behavior, breaking in and excessive passion for robots aside- yeah, OK, maybe there were _some_ signs, but Tsuna would very much like to hope he could meet someone whose first reflex was _not_ to build/throw/wield/fire/threaten with weapons. Was that too much to ask for?

He must have spent too long being the straight man to his friends' brand of madness, because the next sentence left his mouth without his input. Apparently, picking up on the quirks and insanity of his acquaintances -even if only in his head- had become so common that it had become an automatism. "You built weapons on your robot." It was not even a question which went a long way to show how much he was in despair and how sadly used he was to rampant craziness.

"Yep." Drawled Spanned excitedly. "Armament is a fascinating topic, and what is the point of a robot if it can't kick ass?" Hayato was nodding thoughtfully besides him. Oh, God, no, please don't let Spanner give any ideas to the already explosive silveret. "I actually want to add more weapons on my Mosca, and build more than one. Maybe I'll build one for each type of weaponry. But no matter what they all will have at least some features in common anyway. Like propellers so they can fly and track their target until it is destroyed, and at least one machine gun and one small missile launcher. Those are basics, really." He tilted his head with a sigh. "It's too bad I don't have the necessary materials yet. My only Mosca for now was made with pieces I scavenged from devices all around the house and pieces I picked up at the closest dump. I can't work properly and build the best Moscas I can with subpar materials, and even if I have enough money, some parts are heavily regulated and only sold to the military..." He looked really downtrodden by the thought that he didn't have whet he needed to build weapons of mass destruction thought Tsuna. He didn't know if he should sympathize, be glad or cry.

Probably a mix of all that actually...

But the conversation had kept going while Tsuna was despairing over his existence, and by the time the brunet managed to get out of his dark mood, Spanner, Shoichi, Hayato and Byakuran were already debating over the specs and the design of an army of death robots armed to the teeth with top-of-the-line weapons.

"So," The Sky started to say, louder than needed, but he couldn't in good conscience let his friends and new acquaintance plan the robot apocalypse from Terminator without at least trying to divert their attention. Luckily, the four geeks interrupted their mad scientist talk to listen to him. Unfortunately, Tsuna had not really planned further than that and scrambled to find a valid question. "Do you have anywhere to sleep tonight?" He ended up asking.

Damn! He had felt his Intuition intervening there. He had wanted to ask if it was the blond's first time out of his birth-country, but the little alien in his head had seized the commands and spouted its own question. The thing was only growing more imperious over the years. It had been more subdued back in Namimori. Meeting Hayato and returning to save him had been the first time it had given what had felt like an order; before that it had only been strong suggestions.

He had dismissed it a the time, thinking it had been a fluke, but his Intuition had acted up again when facing off against Mukuro, Ken and Chikusa, and he been even worse against the Vindice. The whole debacle at the Varia mansion had been the same, and Tsuna had figured that his Intuition only ever forced him to act in life-threatening situations, and settled for suggestions and advice in any other circumstances.

But that was clearly not the case. Spanner was not at any real risk that he knew of, and his Intuition didn't give off the feeling of impending danger. Yet for the first time, it had forcefully made Tsuna do something he had not intended to, even if only in the form of switching a question for another. If the brunet and his friends had not been saved multiple times by the alien in his head, and if he had not felt the intrinsic certitude that it was a part of him and would never truly act against him and those he held dear, he would have been seriously freaked out.

Or rather, he would have been seriously scared; as it was, he _was_ freaked out, but not really frightened. Probably because his Intuition was whispering to him that there was nothing to be afraid of, which was a conundrum, but he didn't have the will to think about it anymore.

"Ah, no." Deadpanned Spanner. "I was thinking that I would find a corner to sleep for tonight and try to figure something out afterwards. I don't mind sleeping on the streets : it's warmer here than in Britain, and if anything happens, I'll have my Mosca to protect me. I left it in its transportation box in a deserted alley a few streets over, and it is programmed to issue threats if anyone gets too close, followed by warning shots and actual shooting if someone other than me still tries to take it away."

There was so much wrong with that statement that Tsuna didn't even want to deal with it. So he didn't. However, he did catch Shoichi and Byakuran -two schemers, even if the redhead didn't openly admit it- sharing a meaningful glance before turning to him and making puppy dog eyes. They were not as practiced as Hayato's, but Tsuna had never been good at saying no to his friends (unless they wanted something truly ridiculous, and even then, he often folded).

Curse his bleeding heart and his manipulative friends!

"Fine." He huffed at Byakuran and Shoichi. The Sun gave him a grateful, if slightly rueful smile, but the older teen only looked smug. Hayato was looking back and forth at all three of them curiously since he had missed the byplay. "Hey, Spanner?" He looked at the blond. "We have a house not very far from here by bus and there are several free rooms. You can crash there until you find a way back home if you want. You can even bring your robot, since I don't think it's very safe to keep it in a street." For the robot, and for any unlucky passerby, but Tsuna was not about to explain that. He knew enough weirdos and eccentrics to know that Spanner would likely not understand why what he had done was actually dangerous.

Spanner's eyes lit up. "Really? Then I'll take your offer. Thank you, Tsunayoshi. Maybe you guys could even show me the labs you spoke about earlier."

Oh, Tsuna could already imagine the chaos that would arise if one more mad scientist entered their labs, especially since Spanner didn't know about Flames and most experiments revolved around those. But before he could try to kindly object, the door to the conference room opened and a mad rush to the seats started.

While they had been talking, more people had gathered in front of the room where Verde would give his lecture without them noticing. Thankfully, they had been at the front of the queue, and they all managed to find a seat near each other in one of the first rows. If they had been any farther the waiting line, they would have likely been pushed around by the frantic adults, and, being much smaller, they would probably never have found available seats.

Tsuna would have to wait for the end of the lecture to decline Spanner's visit of the labs. For now, he was preparing himself for two hours of scientific gibberish he could not understand in a hundred years while his friends ascended to geek heaven. But he was fine as long as they were happy, and they were obviously elated to attend this mysterious Verde's conference, so the Sky would make do.

 **No point this time for figuring out who the next character to be introduced will be ;) but you can try guessing who the one after than is.**


	24. That doesn't have public transportation

Another Path Part 24 : That doesn't have good public transportation

Arcobaleno.

This Verde was a bloody Arcobaleno! The baby-like appearance with an adult's mind, the green pacifier hanging from his tiny neck, everything was there to prove it!

Of course, when the green-haired fake infant arrived on stage and introduced himself, most of the audience had reacted with dismissive outrage at the perceived impersonation. But Verde had only snapped his fingers once, and the most outspoken of the protesters had been immediately arrested by the security and dragged out of the conference room. The tiny scientist had then summarily explained that he suffered from a rare disease that prevented his body from growing normally, before he went into a detailed explanation of a physics theory that Tsuna didn't understand at all. That had served as proof of his identity and had more or less appeased the adult scientists in the room, so the conference started normally.

Of course, the four members of Caeruleus in attendance knew better. When protests had started, they had remained in their seats and watched the scene with disbelief -except for Byakuran, who Tsuna would have sworn was snickering under his breath. Who would have thought they would meet another Arcobaleno in a _civilian_ , perfectly legal convention?

Spanner had only observed the situation with a single raised eyebrow and kept sucking on his lollipop despite the no-food warnings plastered on every exit.

Thankfully, calm eventually returned to the audience and the actual lecture began.

As expected, everything went way over Tsuna's head, but he didn't mind. The looks of fascination and joy on Hayato and Shoichi's faces -as well as Spanner's but he wasn't nearly as close to the blond- was well worth it, as was the amused interest displayed by Byakuran. He could deal with two little hours of boredom to keep his friends happy.

Half an hour went by without a hitch, when suddenly Tsuna's Intuition flared for no reason he could pinpoint. There was a sense of urgency in the warning, so the Sky worriedly looked around the conference room to locate the problem. Try as he might, he couldn't find anything amiss.

That's when he caught Verde's next words. Truthfully, he had zoned out some time ago, when it had become explicitly clear that, try as he might, he would not understand anything of the lecture, but that one sentence rang alarm bells in his mind.

"One such new energy can theoretically be produced by specific humans, which this device has been built to identify."

Now, Tsuna was no scientist, in fact, he was much more inclined towards human sciences and languages than physics or biology, but his instincts were sharp, and _that_ he understood at once.

Flames. Verde was talking about Flames and he was currently waving a device that supposedly showed people who could wield them; despite the fact that Vindice would fall on anyone who outed that secret to the world.

Verde probably assumed that no-one in the room was Flame-active. Flame users were extremely rare, and the overwhelming majority of them were in the Mafia, or other illegal organizations. The odds of there being even one individual with even a modicum of active Flame in the two-hundred or so scientists in the audience were astronomically low, so it was no real risk on his part.

But that was without counting on Tsuna's ridiculous ability to land face first in dangerous or compromising situations.

He shared a glance with Byakuran, who had actually followed the whole lecture so far. From his concerned face, Tsuna understood that the white-haired teen had arrived to the same conclusion as him. Hayato and Shoichi, on the other hand, were so engrossed in the conference that they had not realized the implication of Verde's words.

They could not leave the room right now. They were all located in the middle of their row with at least eight adults on either side. It would take too long to make their way out, and Verde was already lowering his tiny finger towards the button that would start his device.

There was only one real solution left. "Crouch down on the floor!" Whispered urgently Tsuna to his friends. Luckily, they all heard him, and obeyed his instruction at once. Even Spanner followed his order, although it was clear from the look in his eyes and his raised eyebrow that he didn't understand why. Shoichi and Hayato sported the same bewildered expression, but their silent inquiry was answered when Verde's machine finally started.

A brilliant Flame flickered immediately on all four of their chests and over their hands. Tsuna's and Byakuran's were orange, Shoichi's was yellow and Hayato's was mainly red, with wisps of blue, yellow, purple and green.

Spanner -whose body had not lit up since he was not Flame-active- was looking at them with awe and curiosity. Thankfully, he was smart enough to understand that now was not the time to ask questions.

Since they were all crouched and curled up on the floor between seats, the light of their fire didn't really reach the other spectators, so nobody noticed the Flames. The people seated in the same row as the group looked at them weirdly, but barely saw a glow and assumed the children were doing something on their cellphones, which explained them crouching on the floor to hide the shining screens. It earned them some disgruntled and judgmental glares, but their secret was safe.

Soon after, the Flames died down by themselves and the children tentatively returned to their seats, with sheepish smiles to their offended neighbors. Spanner's eyes were brimming with silent questions, but that would have to wait, and his rather innocent curiosity was not what alarmed Tsuna the most.

From the stage, Verde was looking straight at them, although his mouth kept automatically voicing his lecture as though nothing had happened.

Tsuna was getting a bad feeling from that unwavering, piecing gaze, but he reasoned that even if the scientist had understood or seen what had taken place, it was not an issue. Verde was an Arcobaleno, so according to what Fon had told them, he had to already know about Flames.

The other issue would be that he somehow recognized them -him- as the target of Vongola's and Iemitsu's search. But from what he had gathered, Verde was a reclusive man -baby- that was only interested in his experiments and had little to no contact with the outside world. With some luck, that included the Mafia, and the Lightning Arcobaleno either would not identify him as Iemitsu's lost son, or wouldn't care and would not inform anybody.

The rest of the conference went by without anymore incidents, but Tsuna was still tense, and even his friends' enthusiasm was severely dampened. Verde kept looking in their direction all through the lecture, and the brunet couldn't wait to leave.

Finally, the two hours were over and the members of Caeruleus with Spanner were among the first to leave the room. Still, the brunet couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching them, and after looking around the area, he realized that the impression came from the many surveillance cameras. Surely, there was nothing unusual about being watched through cameras in such a place, and the unease he felt only came from his shaken nerves. The same went for his buzzing Intuition: it only hummed in his head without any focus and was probably a side-effect from the earlier scare.

Tsuna offered to keep looking at the stalls, but nobody's heart was in it anymore, and Spanner was obviously waiting for them to be alone to bury them with questions about the strange fire he had seen escaping their bodies. They called it a day and followed the blond to collect his 'Mosca' from a nearby back alley.

The robot was still in its crate, and from the lack of bloodstains or dead bodies, they all assumed nobody had tried to steal it. Small mercies.

The crate was about a meter tall, and half as large, which reassured Tsuna a little. From the was Spanner had described his machine of death, he had expected it to tower at two meters at least. And this way, they could transport it on its wheels without being too conspicuous.

The bus stop was completely deserted, but that meant nobody was there to hear the blond's questions. Still, Tsuna asked him to wait some more until they were all safely between the walls of their home before explaining what had happened during the conference.

The bus home arrived early for once, which was welcome. Apart from the driver, it was empty, which Tsuna thought was odd. It was 6.30 pm and a Thursday, surely people would be coming back from work at this hour, no? But once more, he didn't look a gifted horse in the mouth and settled quietly in the back of the vehicle. His Intuition had been buzzing aimlessly nonstop since the incident during the lecture, so he didn't pay any mind to it.

It was only ten minutes later that he really began to worry. "Isn't that the wrong road?" Asked Shoichi as he looked out. Indeed, the countryside they saw was not the same as they had seen that morning. "Did we take the wrong bus?"

"I don't think so." Replied Hayato before turning towards the front of the bus. "Hey, mister driver, is this the bus to Napoli?"

The driver didn't so much as hint that he had heard the question, so Hayato asked again, louder this time. Still no reaction.

The silveret's short temper led him to go directly to the front of the bus to talk some sense into the rude driver. But when he finally got close enough to look the man into the eyes, he only blinked and turned towards his companions. "Fuck, I think we have a problem, guys."

As if finally hearing his words, the bus suddenly stopped. The teens all gathered next to Hayato to see what the issue was and why they were no longer moving. That's when they had a good look at the driver for the first time and understood why the Storm was so concerned.

The driver was a robot.

A well-crafted one, at that. From afar, he would not look strange at all, but from up close, you could see that his eyes were unnaturally still, staring fixedly at the road, and that his 'skin' didn't have the various shades and colors that real flesh sported.

"I think we should get out." Muttered Shoichi in fear. There was something very wrong afoot here, and he didn't want to stay to see what it was. Never mind that they would have to make the trek back home by foot.

The door was easy to open -Byakuran just pressed the button near the driver, who didn't bat an eye, literally- and they all left the vehicle as one. They took a look at their surroundings.

They were on an empty, and clearly unused road, with a forest on one side, and endless fields on the other. Apart from the dirt road beneath their feet, there was no trace of civilization around. The sun was slowly setting over the tall trees, and the growing shadows only made the scene even more eerie.

It was the perfect setting for a horror movie, thought Tsuna distantly (and he blamed Kyoya for his familiarity with that type of movie. The Cloud loved watching them, sneering at the 'foolish herbivores' that got killed off one by one, and mocking silently the lack of realism when someone was butchered. But since everyone watched these movies together most of the time, Tsuna had refused to allow the raven to buy more accurate ones; I-pin and Lambo were fine with watching sprays of red paint fly over meters, but they were still too young to see anything more graphic -former baby hitmen or not).

And as if hearing the Sky's thoughts about horror movies, killer robots suddenly jumped down from where they were hidden on the roof of the bus. And yes, they really were killer robots; not as bulky as Spanner's Mosca seemed to be given the size of its crate, but the blades and guns built on them were pretty telling.

There were four of them. In the split second before they rushed towards the five boys, Tsuna noticed that the robots looked very top-of-the-line. They were shaped like humans, their edges were smooth, and all the 'insides' were protected by metal panes that didn't hinder their moves.

And god did they move fast! Tsuna and Byakuran barely had enough time to pull Spanner and Shoichi respectively out of the way before two bladed arms fell exactly were they had been standing. Hayato was quick to use one of his smokescreens (one of the few non-lethal weapons that the more peaceful members of Caeruleus had managed to convince the silveret to carry, although they still had no idea where he stored them) to hide them all from the two robots that had remained behind and were taking aim, and the five teens rushed to take cover behind the trees.

"What the hell is happening?!" Shoichi whispered loudly while holding his stomach. His stress-related pains had become much less regular these days -Kyoya's random surprise attacks to keep them sharp and trained did wonders, for all that they were terrifying; or rather, _because_ they were terrifying- but they had all been high-strung since the conference, and this was just the straw that broke the camel's back.

"Fighting robots." Stated Spanner with his deadpan face, although his eyes were shining with awe when he looked at the smokescreen. Hayato seemed to have caught it too, because Tsuna could feel him at his right building up his indignant rant about useless answers and misplaced feelings of admiration.

"We need to destroy them." Cut in the Sky before his Storm could explode. "They're too fast to outrun, and we don't even know where we are anyway. Any ideas how to take them out?"

"Can't we just blow them up?" Asked an impatient Hayato, who already had plenty of dynamite in his hands.

"They look a bit too advanced and synchronized for that." Shot down Byakuran whose infuriating smile was still there, but had dimmed. "You saw how they moved, they aimed straight at the two weakest members. They know enough about us to decide on a strategy, and if we just rush in without one, we're going to get turned into mincemeat."

"And they're waiting for us." Added Shoichi, who was still bent over with his stomachache. "They have had all the time in the world to get out of that smoke by now, or to shoot in the direction they saw us leave. They're waiting to see what we're going to do, and you can bet that they're prepared for whatever we're going to throw at them." He analyzed. The red-head had always been very good at making a strategy. "We need to do something that they are not expecting, or we're in trouble. Those robots look too complex to fall for a straight on attack."

Hayato nodded his agreement. Now that he had time to cool down, his smarts were back and he could look at the situation clearly; his friends' assessment was correct : these robots were after them specifically and were likely to know how they usually fought. They would have to figure out who had sent them later, once they were safely back home.

The silveret looked at the only boy that wasn't part of their group hesitantly. "With Spanner here, can we still..." He trailed off.

Thankfully, his wonderful Boss (although he wasn't allowed to call him that) understood what he meant. "It's not like he hasn't seen our Flames before; and we _were_ going to tell him about them anyway after what happened during the lecture. There's no need to hold back now, but I think the robots will be expecting this. There's no reason for anyone to attack us if they don't at least know that we're Flame-active."

They all fell silent after that, each of them trying to think of something to catch the robots by surprise.

"My Mosca is still over there." Eventually said Spanner.

"You can check if it's fine after we deal with the fucking robots trying to murder us!" Dismissed Hayato angrily. Why couldn't civilians get their priorities right, for fuck's sake?

"What I mean," Spanner whispered patiently. "Is that it could be the distraction you're looking for." All four members of Caeruleus looked at him in interest from where they were taking cover, so he kept talking. "My Mosca has a voice recognition system. It's not yet very elaborate yet, but it can understand a few prerecorded commands, like 'Shoot down the enemies'. It will shoot at anyone it doesn't recognize until it is manually turned off, or any threat is down, which means you will be targeted as well, but it should be enough to take the attention of the robots off you for a couple seconds." He shrugged. "I just though this was something that we could use."

Some part of Tsuna really wanted to know why such an order was among the few recorded ones, and why there was no vocal order to make it stop. A much larger part of him didn't want to know, so he let it go and quickly planned their attack with Shoichi, Hayato and Byakuran. Spanner was no fighter, and unlike Shoichi, he didn't even have some basics or a weapon, so he would remain hidden and only order his Mosca from afar.

The smokescreen was already pretty much gone by then, so they promptly put more space between each other, to have some room to dodge any bullets, and Tsuna waved at Spanner to begin. "Mosca, shoot down the enemies!" Shouted the blond.

Immediately, the crate fell open, gunfire was heard near the bus and the members of Caeruleus finally saw what Spanner's personal death robot looked like. Its head looked like some kind of gas mask, and was placed on a bulky, almost round body covered by black cloth and a few scraps of metal to keep the cloth down. Instead of legs, it moved with what strongly reminded Tsuna of 'tank wheels', and two stubby arms that ended with guns instead of hand were aimed at the enemy robots.

Said enemy robots turned around to get rid of the new threat (although its bullets were unfortunately not able to pierce through their defenses, it still did its job of attracting their attention), and Tsuna rushed ahead and called his Flames. He immediately fell in Hyper Dying Mode, as Fon had called it (he still though the name sounded really stupid) and targeted the head of the closest robot.

Thanks to the Mosca's distraction, he managed to reach it and with the help of his Sky Flames to enhance his punch and to melt the metal, he neatly decapitated the first enemy who fell lifelessly and didn't get up. One to go, three more left.

The three remaining robots at once decided that he was a greater threat than the Mosca who had not managed to harm them, and turned to face him, as did Spanner's invention, who didn't recognize the brunet as an ally.

But that had been planned, and this was the moment Hayato and Byakuran entered the fray. The youngest threw explosive after explosive at the most isolated enemy. His Flame-enhanced dynamite didn't do much against the thing, who had evidently been built to resist explosions, but it still managed to dent and bump its protective armor. As a result it switched targets to the silveret, who kept attacking and dodging. Hayato was more suited for taking down large amount of relatively weak opponents, not single, powerful ones, so it had been decided that his job would be to keep one busy until Tsuna or Byakuran could take care of it.

Meanwhile, Byakuran was facing off against another killer robot. Tsuna and the others had only vaguely seen what the older teen could do, since he only rarely participated in their training sessions, but they had seen enough to know that he was a powerful and skilled fighter. Indeed, the white-haired boy was managing to keep up with his opponent, while evading its bullets and the Mosca's. He himself was shooting some Sky Flames -which were white for some reason, but clearly felt 'Sky-like'- at the robot. He was making some progress, but most of his attacks needed him to focus and charge them to be at their most efficient, and he couldn't find the time to concentrate to build them up while dodging bullets and sword swipes from all sides. Unlike Tsuna, he was not a physical fighter and relied almost solely on his Flames, in fact, he didn't even have any kind of weapon.

Tsuna himself was at a standstill with the third robot. Those things either adapted very fast or had knowledge of their fighting styles beforehand, because after the beheading of the first enemy, his current opponent was making sure to keep the brunet at a distance. Like Byakuran, Tsuna had a few powerful long-distance Flame-based attacks, but they needed a little time to charge, and he didn't have said time when he was kept on his toes by the killer robot on one side, and the large area bullet rain of the Mosca on the other (he would really have to have a few words about security measures with Spanner once everything was over).

But all killer robots were either down or kept busy, and that had been the plan all along if they couldn't defeat them easily enough one-on-one.

Because while Spanner was taking cover in the woods, and Tsuna, Hayato and Byakuran were distracting the three enemy robots, who were the only ones elaborated enough to select a target based on threat, Shoichi was not being idle.

He had used one of the many gadgets he always kept with him : an expanding umbrella that he had tweaked to double as a shield when powered by Flames. Lightning Flames were the most efficient, of course, but Sun Flames did the trick as well. Once the four most dangerous robots were distracted, that left only the Mosca to take care of.

Shoichi didn't really have the reflexes, instinct or speed to avoid bullets, but since there only was one unmoving robot aiming his way on and off, it was no problem to protect himself with his umbrella. He took a long detour to make sure to avoid the three one-on-one battles, but he easily reached the Mosca.

Spanner had explained earlier in the day that, although his Mosca had been primarily built to be autonomous, he _had_ added manual commands behind his robot to control it. With the blond's instructions, it was fairly easy to stop the rampaging machine and instead aim it directly at one of the enemy robots' head, specifically, the one fighting against Tsuna.

With the Mosca shooting only one robot rather than jumping from one target to another and aiming at a single point, the bullets that had been useless so far started to have _some_ effect, and slowly started to distort the metal. Given enough time, it was clear that it would eventually pierce through.

Suddenly, the killer robot was facing not one, but two opponents, and it was now loosing. Its attention was divided, and its reaction time was worsening. Tsuna was slowly closing in, step by step, and between on dodge and the next he was finally within striking range. The head was already under heavy fire by Shoichi and the Mosca, so the Sky hit the torso with his Flame-covered fist, melted the protective armor, and yanked out as much wire and components as he could.

The robot crumbled to the ground.

Shoichi aimed the Mosca at Byakuran's opponent, while Tsuna immediately went to help Hayato, who was still throwing his dynamite at his robot to keep it at bay.

Working together, with the Storm attacking relentlessly to make an opening for his Sky, it only took a few minutes to behead the third robot. Tsuna stayed back while the silveret went to support Byakuran and give him enough time with Shoichi to focus his Flames and unleash a powerful enough attack to pierce right through the last robot and leave it with a large hole where his stomach would have been had it been human.

Tsuna distantly kept an eye on his friends' battle, but his attention was elsewhere. Now that the danger was dealt with or almost dealt with, his Intuition was telling him something else and he was trying to pinpoint what.

Once the last killer robot fell down and didn't move for a moment, they all breathed a sigh of relief. Spanner gingerly came out of his cover in the woods and joined the other teens to slump down on the side of the bullet-riddled bus.

But Tsuna wasn't able to relax as much as his friends, no matter how much he wanted to. His Intuition was still ringing in his ears, not because of a threat, but it definitely wanted to bring something to his attention. He let his eyes wander, hoping to catch whatever it was that was setting off his instincts.

The top of the trees shifted a bit, brushed by the winds, but the brunet noticed one tree stayed suspiciously unmoved by the breeze.

 _Ah, so this is what it was trying to tell me_ , realized Tsuna. He gathered his will, accidentally making his eyes shine orange once more, pushed himself up and looked straight at the too still tree.

"I know you're here." He said, loud enough to be heard from the top of said tree. His friends jumped in surprise, but quickly took on their battle stances. "You can come out now."

 **This is finally done! Writing this chapter was like pulling teeth, and I'm not even satisfied with it. I like the way the fight went, but I absolutely hate the way I wrote it, but since it has been a while since my last chapter (two months), I figured you guys would rather I post it anyway (please tell me if that's not the case, I'll work on it).**

 **Also, just for the record, I will not write about the Simon (Shimon?) Family. There just isn't enough material (manga or fanfiction) about them for me to not write them as cartoonish characters with no depth. Not that I'm saying that the other characters I've added so far are not cartoonish, but I'd like to think I've somehow managed to add** _ **some**_ **kind of depth to them. Let me have my dreams, people!**

 **Anyway, thank you all for your reviews, they are what give me the motivation to keep writing, even when the story doesn't want to be written, and I hope you are not too disappointed by this chapter (all in all, there's not much that happens in it...).**


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